Dirty Deeds
by ShinyThingsGirl
Summary: Some secrets are secret for a reason. A person who chooses to uncover them must be prepared for the consequences even if those consequences come from within. Jade/Tori
1. Trouble with Your High School Head

_A/N: Usually I do this at the bottom but I need to forewarn you guys. This story is long on explicit smut and short on plot and a bit on the dark side. Not too much, kind of like dark chocolate. I mean it's still like regular chocolate just not as sweet. If this doesn't sound like your thang then you are welcome to choose another story. I'm working on a long Jori fic and just really needed to write something short. Review for a virtual high-five!_

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><p>All his young life Sinjin was a curious boy. Never one to have too many friends, he usually spent most of his time alone in his room. That didn't mean he was lonely or a loner or a loser or any other sad 'L' word. He <em>did <em>have friends and he _did _have fun. Sometimes though, he preferred his personal time. That's how he ended up with his own mixing board which he spent fourteen continuous hours building. That's how he knew every piece of electrical equipment at H.A. inside and out so when something broke down, the school usually didn't even call a tech guy. That's how he became a genius with computers. However, being a smart guy meant being bored a lot and everyone knew that idle hands are the devil's plaything.

He couldn't remember exactly when he got obsessed with Jade. Sinjin wasn't delusional. He understood that his odds with her weren't very good. That didn't mean he couldn't convince Sikowitz to pair him up with her to do lighting for a play or break into Jade's house when she wasn't there. Or read her journal. Not her obvious, easily accessed by any amateur on the PC journal either. That one was a decoy.

No. He had found the other one. The one that was a folded up composition notebook bound with elastics and hidden at the rear of the drawers in her chest of drawers. If any of her friends knew what Jade had in there, they might change their minds about being friends with her. What she wrote wasn't mean or hurtful, just honest. She didn't secretly hate them and she wasn't a psycho or anything. At any rate though, they wouldn't understand. But Sinjin did.

The entries concerning Tori began changing roughly three months ago. Sinjin wasn't surprised that Jade would write about her nemesis but he definitely did not expect the turn these entries took. They became very fascinating and at some point and for some inexplicable reason, Sinjin decided Tori must find out.

**0o0o0o0**

Tori was running late. When she got to school in the morning, her locker seemed to be stuck closed. After bracing a foot against the other lockers and pulling with all her strength, it finally snapped open. By then the second bell had rung and Tori wildly collected her things and dashed to her class. She went around a corner and ran straight into someone. Notebooks, textbooks and loose papers went flying everywhere.

"Oops, sorry about that Tori," Sinjin said nervously.

He hunkered down and hastily picked up his own things, sliding his glasses back up his nose.

"That's okay Sinjin. I wasn't really looking where I was going."

Before she had even taken a hold of her notebook, Sinjin was up and hurrying off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, you forgot your papers!" Tori called after him, holding up several of the free sheets.

But he was gone and Tori decided to just stuff them in her bag. She was already late enough as it was and she could always return them to him later.

**0o0o0o0**

Later, however, the papers were still in Tori's bag. In her room after school, she was distractedly emptying everything out when they hovered to her floor. Recognizing what they were, Tori was about to set them in one of her binders until her own name on them caught her eye. Looking much closer now, she saw two things. One, the handwriting looked familiar and two it was girly so it couldn't have been Sinjin's. Whose was it, Tori wondered skimming through the sheets. The entries were dated and Tori organized them chronologically before reading. One of the first entries started at the top of the page but wasn't complete.

_'—why she did that. I thought she wanted to hook up with Beck. I kind of expected her to maybe sabotage me and get him to like her. But she didn't. That doesn't mean I'm going to be her friend that's for sure.'_

This was Jade's, Tori realized, her heart starting to beat excitedly. She was holding, in her hand, photocopied pages from Jade's diary. The fact that Sinjin had them didn't surprise her at all and only for a minute did Tori feel guilty. Then she continued reading. A few minutes later she stopped, flabbergasted. She re-read the sentences and still couldn't believe it.

_'She was wearing those knee-high boots again with her skin-tight jeans. Fuck she looks hot in those. Bet she knows it too, strutting around and everything. I wanted to just tear those skinny jeans off her.'_

What the hell was this? Did Jade like have the hots for her or something? This just didn't appear real at all. Maybe it was a prank. But that thought seemed unlikely as soon as it popped up in her mind. The more she continued reading, the more she started to blush. In the last two entries, Jade wrote things that sort of frightened her.

_'Once I'd get her in that janitor's room I'd lock the door. I'd push her against a wall. She'd probably struggle and that would make it hotter. Then I'd rip her shirt open and pinch those perky nipples of hers until she screamed. I bet she'd like that too. After that, I'd put—'_

And that's where the last page ended. Tori was breathing hard. Hyperventilating was more like it actually and she was hot all over. This was so messed up and weird and scary and thrilling because as disturbed as she was, Tori was also a bit turned on. No, I'm not, she firmly told herself and put the papers in her binder like she intended from the beginning. She couldn't understand what she just read and she couldn't understand what she felt. So Tori did what any sane person would do in that sort of a situation; forgot that she ever read anything at all.

**0o0o0o0**

The week went on and everything continued normally and every time Tori looked over at Jade, it was absolutely just harmless looking. Once in a while, when she glanced over, Jade would be staring back. When that happened, Tori, without realizing, would bite down hard on her lip.

Consciously, she put the whole diary thing out of her mind. But subconsciously, late at night just before she fell asleep, Tori secretly wished Jade _would_ do something. Subconsciously she wondered _what_ exactly Jade could do and how it would feel.

**0o0o0o0**

Saturday night Tori had the whole house to herself. Parents were gone on a week cruise and Trina was at a four day Young Singers of America seminar in New York. After a delicious dinner and some dancing at one of their favourite hang-outs, all of them came over to Tori's for a movie. After the movie was over and everyone tiredly shuffled out of her house, only Jade was left. Beck had the only car but due to some new project he and Robbie were working on, it was full of electrical equipment and only had room for three. The plan was to drop off everyone else first and then come back for Jade.

Currently, Jade was leaning on Tori's kitchen counter, lazily flipping through a gossip magazine. Drowsy and only doing it because she wanted to get to bed as soon as Jade left, Tori went to her room to change. She came back downstairs in flannel pyjama shorts and a white cami top. Jade glanced up at her from the magazine then returned to the glossy pages.

"Anything interesting?" Tori asked resting on the counter across from Jade.

She just honestly wanted to see the magazine from where she was. Definitely, she did not want to let the cami top dip and allow Jade to get a good look at her cleavage.

Now Jade glanced up much more slowly, first going to Tori's face then to her breasts then back to the magazine once again.

"Nope," she said, listlessly turning another page.

Tori went around the side of the counter and placed her elbows on its surface next to Jade. Browsing some blurb on Taylor Lautner's new gym routine, Tori tipped closer to her, their forearms touching. Jade stopped being interested in the magazine. Her eyes went to Tori, the way she was leaning over, the amount of skin her pyjama boxers were revealing.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked quietly.

There was a dangerous undertone to that question that made Tori look up as well.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything," Tori said innocently, not noticing she was bowing her back, stretching seductively.

Jade suddenly seized one of her wrists, winding her arm back and shoving her. Tori went sprawling, the top part of her ending up lying flat on her kitchen counter.

"I think you know exactly what you're doing," Jade hissed from directly behind her, thrusting her hips so that they bumped Tori's into the counter's curved lip. "I think someone's been reading something they shouldn't have been reading."

Tori's whole body was thrumming, her heart pounding in her chest. She cried out in pain when Jade bent her arm further.

"So? Have you read my journal Vega?"

Somehow the pain merged with everything else and a deep-seated twinge spread from between Tori's legs.

"Yes," she whispered.

"That's not very nice," Jade said intensely, her other hand almost violently plunging into the front of Tori's flannel shorts. "That's not nice at all."  
>Tori cried out again, this time in pleasure when Jade's fingers found that sensitive, little nub. Jade bent closer to her.<p>

"And is this something you wanted Vega? Did you want me to do this to you?"

Her fingers ran down her slick folds and back up, caressing her in a way that made Tori's hips buck.

"Yes . . ." Tori whispered again, finally being able to admit it was true.

Jade let her arm go and Tori folded both of them on the counter. The other girl's hand left her shorts and pulled them midway down her thighs, the fingers returning to stroke Tori's clit. Tori moaned into her arms and bit down on one when Jade sunk a finger into her from behind. Effortlessly, Jade soon added a second finger and Tori was shocked to find she was pushing back.

"That's it Vega. Fuck, I knew you'd be like this," Jade said, her voice unsteady.

One of Jade's hands held her hip while the other worked between her legs. Faster and faster it went until Jade's thumb brushed against that precise spot again and Tori was seeing stars.

The next thing Tori could comprehend was a loud knock at the door. She was still bent over the kitchen counter, the magazine ruined under one of her arms and Jade was washing her hands at the sink.

Still dazed Tori pulled her shorts up and ambled over to the door.

"I thought you girls fell asleep or something," Beck said looking tired. "You okay Tori?"

"Um yeah, I'm fine. Just sleepy," Tori said distractedly.

Jade walked past her, purse slung over her shoulder and totally composed. Beck had already jogged down the few steps to his car.

"Goodnight Tori!" He called before getting in.

Jade turned to her, a wide smug smile on her face.

"Goodnight, Tori," she echoed Beck. "Sleep tight."

She winked at her, got into Beck's car and they drove off into the hot L.A. night.


	2. Can't Push it Underground

_A/N: Not sure how it happened but I guess this story took on a life of its own and I'm using the term 'story' very loosely here. It's still a PWP and rather explicit and also contains something suggested by a reviewer. If you don't enjoy disciplinary action as part of your fics, then this story is not for you. As always all reviews are very much welcome and appreciated especially considering how short this thing is on plot. _

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><p>Directing her attention to music should not have been this strenuous. After all, Tori lived music, breathed melody and sang in her sleep. During the ideal circumstances, she could even pump out a pop anthem at last minute's notice. That wasn't to say it was effortless. Just that it came easier to Tori than to most people, as natural talent should. So why was it that singing was the last thing on her mind on a contemporary music Monday? A day which she usually looked forward to with so much zeal that she'd arrive at school early for a vocal warm up and to run through the scales?<p>

Plus, any classes held in the Black Box Theater ordinarily keyed her up and she fed off the creative energy of the place. Quite a number of successful performers started out right here, practicing their craft while attending Hollywood Arts. At times, Tori would meditate in the theater, striving to gain that special something which seemed essential to stardom.

Today, instead, Tori sat listlessly on a plastic chair, staring off into space, her head feeling like it was filled with warm, fluffy wool. All these thoughts were splitting her in two; the musically-inclined Tori she always was and a new, dark Tori.

When it was her turn to sing, Tori preformed her chosen song with perfect precision and mechanical routine. It had no heart, it hardly held Tori's concentration and yet the song was still met with thunderous applause. The cheers and hollers of her classmates all seemed far way and out of place, like hearing a sitcom's canned laughter from a TV in another room.

There had never been a time when she didn't think or dream about becoming a pop star and now all she could think about was Jade. Jade who had stared daggers at her throughout her entire song, Jade who managed to raise her voice over that applause and make sure everyone heard her when she said how terrible Tori's performance was. Jade and her demanding, unrelenting hands doing things to Tori she didn't know were possible.

This is ridiculous, her mind insisted as she listened to another student singing a Kanye West song. Do you realize what happened in your kitchen? Do you realize what you let her do to you? These were all logical thoughts she normally listened to and analyzed which resulted in logical advice Tori normally followed.

But Tori understood another point perfectly well. She understood that if she didn't feel those hands on her again, she'd go insane. Worse than insane, she'd become uninterested in school, friends, goals, everything until this, whatever it was, ran its course. It was crazy and all the same she knew it to be true. 'This', however, was completely new territory for her. She didn't know what to do, how to get _it_, wasn't even sure what she wanted exactly.

What she did know was that she needed to get out of this class. She needed to go for a walk. If she couldn't think straight, maybe pacing up and down a few hallways would disentangle her mind. Tori asked to use the washroom and left the small theater, not seeing Jade's eyes tracking her exit.

After splashing cold water on her face careful not to ruin her mascara, Tori felt a little better, a little more like herself. I'm just going to tell Jade what I want, was the best she could come up with even though such a selfish thought felt alien and scary to her. She strutted back to rejoin her class, opted to come in through a side door and got hurled against gray bricks. A slim hand was covering her mouth, cool metal of the rings on the fingers touching her lips. Dark, purple curtains happened to conceal this area and through a gap in the material Tori could see people in class sitting in their seats, facing the opposite direction.

"Where do you think you're going?" A stern voice whispered in her ear.

Tori blinked slowly, her body instantly surrendering to the other girl, her physical reaction to her taking over. Not that Tori put up much of a fight. She wanted this.

"We're not done dealing yet," Jade continued. "You read something very personal Vega, don't think you're finished paying for it."

Jade's open lips moved from her ear to her neck, tasting the skin there.

"Took you long enough," Tori said into her palm, still looking straight ahead, being both astonished and not at her own words.

That split was occurring again, dark Tori taking over. Jade bit down on a pulse point in her neck and Tori sucked in moist air from under Jade's hand in a hiss.

"Oouu someone's being a bad girl," Jade sneered, teeth taking another sharp nip further down Tori's neck. "And I think we both know what can happen to bad girls, don't we?"

Jade stole a quick peek through the gap in the curtain to make sure no one spotted them, then took Tori by the hand. Not her wrist or her arm but her hand and a secret thrill ran through Tori. Nonchalantly, Jade led her to another door along the wall. Much like the side door, this one also had a small, rectangular window cut in its upper right corner. The room beyond was a small storage for a majority of the theater's electrical and production equipment. Quietly, Jade opened the door and they both went inside.

Enough light came through the wire-enforced glass for Tori to make out some of the bulky obstacles in the storage and avoid bumping into them. The room was unnaturally silent, giving Tori the impression of stepping through a crack in to a separate reality. A reality where she was that other Tori.

"Well what are you waiting for Vega? Pants down," Jade commanded.

In a daze, Tori unbuckled her belt, opened her jeans and pulled them down. Jade didn't move. Tori could see her in the dark, her arms on her hips.

"Bend over," she said much quieter than her first order.

Carefully, searching for a flat surface, Tori leaned over a high stool which had been partially tucked under a workbench running along the wall. She heard rather than saw Jade pick something up. Light from the window caught it as Jade came to stand next to her and Tori realized it was a metal ruler and blood began pumping thickly in her veins. She almost jumped when the ruler touched her skin. Jade slowly ran it up the backs of her tanned thighs and smoothed it over her rear.

"That is one gorgeous ass," Jade remarked and then the ruler came away from Tori's backside.

The first blow was surprising and stung. Tori bit her lower lip, letting out a small whimper anyway. Without pause, Jade slapped her with the ruler again. By the third strike, heat from where the ruler was no doubt leaving red marks, began to spread. Both of them were breathing hard and the fourth slap across her ass sent pleasant, tiny jolts between her legs and to her nipples. When the ruler landed again, Tori couldn't control the short, peaked noise that emerged from her mouth.

"Be quiet!" Jade said fiercely.

Another sharp smack, shiver running up Tori's spine, and this time she held her breath to prevent making the satisfied sound she wanted to make.

"You want everyone to know we're in here?" Jade asked, bending low so that their faces were close.

Her hand was now free of the ruler and she slid it between Tori's legs, feeling the wetness there. Tori opened her mouth, breathing rapidly, loudly in the small room.

"What would they say if they all knew sweet Tori Vega gets off on being spanked?" Jade asked in a whisper, her tongue gliding in to Tori's open mouth, curling to trace her upper lip.

"And not just being spanked but having it done by another girl."

This last sentence flew out in a rush, Jade and Tori taking turns to delve in, the chaotic kiss surprising them both. Dark chocolate, mint and a taste that Tori could only equate with the feeling she got just before a thunderstorm filled all her senses. Then, just like that, Jade stopped. Tori didn't question it nor did her lips chase hers. They were getting too close and this was too new. She knew it, Jade knew it and she knew that Jade knew.

"Fun's over."

Jade tossed the metal ruler in a plastic organizer filled with other bric-a-bracs. Tori stood, stretched out her back and hitched her jeans and panties up, painstakingly pulling them over her tender rear.

"I really liked that song you sang today by the way," Jade said out of nowhere.

"What? You said it was terrible. You said I was off key."

Everything had made an aberrant kind of sense to her up until this moment and Tori couldn't tell if this was part of their game.

"You read my journal." Jade shrugged and left it at that.

"I didn't read all of it. Just a few pages. I think Sinjin has photocopies of it. His stalking is really getting out of control," Tori said, choosing for the moment to ignore Jade's cryptic answer.

"It's fine. It's my fault. I made out with him at the school Christmas party a year ago," Jade told her, scrutinizing her nails even though there wasn't enough light to see them properly.

Tori let quiet fill the room, fill the space between them.

"Why are you telling me this?" Tori finally uttered.

"Because," Jade said candidly. "I know you're too nice to say anything to anyone. And I'm a bitch enough to blackmail you if you do."

Something about the way she said it wasn't sitting right with Tori. Like Jade was rehearsing lines in a play, a production she was putting on for Tori. In the dark, Jade was staring at her. Tori opened her mouth to respond and the bell rang.

"Till next time Vega," Jade said, raising her eyebrows and walking out of the room.

The usual student racket outside seemed louder to Tori than it should have been, that feeling of a being in a different reality quickly disappearing. Tori counted to five then also left the storage room.


	3. Play the Game, Feel the Friction

_A/N: Alright well I guess this story has a will of its own. Yes it is still rather smut-heavy but I think a sheaf of plot is sandwiched in there somewhere. I liked the suggestion of Tori being in charge at one point and if it fits the story, then I will write it in there later on. Hope you guys like this latest installment. I'm going to be swamped for a while so I'm not sure how soon I can have another part up. As always all reviews are very much welcome and appreciated. Seriously :)_

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><p>There were just a few instances in her life in which Tori did what she did later that night. Ensuring her bedroom door was locked and fired up like the Fourth of July, Tori took matters into her own hands, pretending the school bell didn't disrupt them, imagining Jade holding her down. After she finished, Tori lay under her sheets for a long time.<p>

"Sick. I'm a sick person," she concluded.

Truth be told though, Tori felt fantastic. An essay she struggled with the previous week lay printed out on her desk. She blazed through all the questions on Italian opera and researched most of her history assignment which wasn't due for weeks. By two in the morning, she was still sitting ramrod straight in front of her computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard in a blur. She was finishing off the lyrics to a second original song. The words assembled together as if the song already existed, floating out there in the universe and Tori was simply recording it. Learning to sing had been an organic process for her. Not so much with writing lyrics and melody and it always aggravated her.

At some point during the night, Trina popped her head in and asked what the hell Tori was doing.

"We've got school tomorrow you know. Your clickity-clacking is keeping me awake!"

"No it's not," Tori responded, trying to concentrate.

Her sister watched her from the doorway. "Whatever you're on, save some for me next time."

"Trina! I am not high," Tori said, ultimately taking her eyes off the computer screen.

But of course Tori was high. Just not on drugs. That spanking, the exhilarating rush of doing something forbidden seemed to have uncorked a well-spring of inspiration inside her.

"Okay just don't stay up too late. We're leaving early tomorrow morning and you look gross when you're tired."

"Trina!" Tori said louder, annoyed at her incessant interruption.

"What? Purple bags under the eyes make anyone look bad," Trina clarified.

"Yeah, yeah."

Trina left her room and Tori went back to writing. This needed to be finished right away or, she suspected, that otherworldly gossamer she was tugging on would vanish and the words would fade from her mind. Rather than consume her, what Jade did, the way she made Tori feel had focused her like nothing before and much like an actual drug, Tori was getting addicted.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"You wrote this?" Andre asked, turning over the pages of the songs which wouldn't let Tori sleep the night before. Tori nodded.

"Tori . . . these are great. I thought you said you couldn't write tunes," he said to her.

"It just came to me," Tori said, shrugging, happy to have Andre's input.

If there was one person at Hollywood Arts who's opinion of songwriting was valuable, that person was Andre.

"Well they're amazing. Let me know if you want help to record one," he said, handing the sheets back to Tori.

"Record one what?" Jade inquired, walking by and snatching the papers out of his hand.

"Tori wrote two songs and they're amazing. I'm jealous actually." He beamed at Tori who ducked away from his direct compliment.

"Oh," she said, waving her hand modestly. "It's no big deal."

"You're right," Jade stated, crumpling up the sheets without looking at them and pitching the crinkled ball into a nearby garbage bin. "It isn't a big deal. Nobody cares. Leave your trash at home Vega."

Jade's clear, green eyes pierced Tori, testing her. A ripple of goosebumps rose on Tori's arms and she unconsciously chewed her bottom lip. Undoubtedly, this wasn't her usual reaction to Jade's cutting comments. Jade noticed the effect she was having on her and a ghost of a smile touched her lips. Andre, however, saw nothing.

"You need some anger management girl," he informed her. "Where's Beck? We need him to act as a buffer zone."

"San Diego, remember? He's playing Surfer Guy 3 on some beach show."

Jade didn't seem pleased with this prospect and Tori couldn't even begin to guess as to why. Some of the things Jade did or thought were completely random to Tori. At times like this, she became aware of how little she really knew Jade. It seemed strange now, considering Jade's fingers were intimately acquainted with specific parts of her body. The bell rang, breaking into her thoughts and the commotion in the hallway amplified. School bells, it seemed, were always interrupting something.

**0o0o0o0o0**

All of Tori's classes were more fun that day. Every problem had an easy solution and even the school cafeteria French fries tasted better, which was saying a lot because usually they tasted like cardboard. Everything appeared brighter, more vibrant to Tori.

While sitting at the lunch table, gleefully eating said fries, Tori's cell went off silently. She pulled it out to see a message from Jade even though she was sitting next to her. '_I'll be at your place at seven_' it said, escalating Tori's heartbeat in an instant. Before she could do anything, the phone vibrated in her hand again. '_Don't look at me. Just put your cell away.'_

**0o0o0o0o0**

From his spot several tables away, Sinjin watched the two girls with a mouthful of chicken salad sandwich. He saw when Jade came to sit a little closer than usual to Tori at lunch. He saw when Tori reached for her cell, observed the way she went stiff at whatever she read off the cell's small display. Sinjin's expertise lay in technology. Fleshy, human emotional things confused him. So when he also saw the miniscule way Tori drew near Jade when the other girl casually grazed her leg under the table, he hoped that meant his plan succeeded. Jade would probably never be his but she deserved to be happy and, again because he was not proficient in this area, Sinjin believed Tori would make her happy. More to the point, if Sinjin couldn't have her, no guy should because seriously, screw Beck. Screw him and his awesome hair.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Frenzied butterflies danced in Tori's stomach while the clock ticked closer to seven. There were a million reasons why Jade might want to come over Tori convinced herself. Only one of those was a reason Tori didn't want to name. As long as it didn't have a name, it would thrive tentatively in the dark like a monster in a kid's closet, staying hidden.

A short chime of the doorbell echoed through the living room and Tori rushed to open the door. In black leggings, a black lace peasant top and her glossy, dark hair, Jade exhibited dominance just standing in the doorway.

"Sister home?" She asked, having a quick look past Tori.

Tori shook her head. Her parents were still on the cruise. Again the house was empty for them. Jade lingered a moment longer on the stoop then came in, stepping up close to Tori and shutting the door behind her. Tori didn't stir but her heart certainly did.

"I want you up stairs, in your room. Think you can do that?" She spoke in Tori's ear.

Tori managed to generate a tiny noise of affirmation.

"Good girl," she praised her going to the stairs. "And bring me a glass of water with ice."

Tori got the water devoid of consciously being aware of it. Already, the other Tori was in control. The Tori who _wanted_ that monster to come out of its dark, hiding spot and gulp her down.

Arriving in her room, she found Jade leaning on her desk, examining a picture of Tori and some friends from a camp she went to eight years ago. Jade placed it back on the wooden surface and motioned for Tori to come closer. The glass was taken from her hand and Jade set that on the desk as well.

"Is your ass sore?"

"A little," Tori confessed.

Jade smiled a wide smile. "Good. Let me see."

Tori turned from her, unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down carefully. Yellow panties followed.

"It's not too bad," Jade murmured.

She ran her fingers over the faintly raised, rectangular marks on Tori's smooth skin and Tori shivered. A few seconds went by while Jade did something behind her. Cold drops of water started landing on those marks making Tori gasp. She looked over her shoulder at Jade. An ice sliver was in her hand and she held it above Tori's rear, watching the water droplets run in thin streams. Once the sliver grew too small to hold, Jade touched it to Tori's bronzed skin, tracing the marks with it. Tori let out a shuttering breath.

"Feel good?" Jade asked in a husky voice.

"Yeah," Tori answered.

There was a rattle, Jade plucking a fresh piece of ice out of the glass. Again she used it to outline the horizontal lines. Each swipe of the ice went lower, getting closer to Tori's center. A slave to darker calling, Tori arched her back slightly, hoping for something her brain refused to articulate and she heard Jade let out a heavy breath. Obviously she was getting off on this as much as Tori was.

Another ice sliver. This time Jade held it over the crevice of Tori's rear, drops of chilly water falling, running down the slim channel and coating Tori's most open place. Tori moaned, her back bowing even more as another droplet came down.

"Please . . ."

The word emerged unpredictably. Tori had never been teased this way, had never been so turned on.

"Please what?"

Jade melted another drop out of the ice.

"Please, just . . ." she faltered.

How was she going to tell Jade that she had awoken something inside of her? Something that wanted and craved and demanded. Tori couldn't even say it to herself.

"You can do better than that," Jade chided. "Tell me what you want."

The ice piece had melted away completely and Jade skimmed over imprints the ruler had left, wet fingertips flitting briefly in the place Tori desperately wanted them. Tori turned her head to the side, looking over her shoulder again and Jade immediately moved in as if to kiss her but wavered, stopping millimeters away. After the emotional turmoil of the kiss they shared in the storage room, there was a barrier here they were both unwilling to go past again.

"I- I can't," Tori panted into Jade's mouth. "Please . . ."

As she spoke the last word, Tori's lips lightly brushed Jade's and the teasing stopped. Hand shaking, Jade sunk a finger inside and Tori's breath caught in her throat, her eyes slamming shut. Slowly, Jade withdrew it then pushed back in, the unhurried pace agonizingly hot and nothing like the first time.

They were so completely absorbed in each other that they didn't hear the knock on the door until it came again, booming through the oak.

"Tori? You in there?" The knob rattled as Trina tried to open the door. "Why is the door locked?"

Jade gritted her teeth, swearing indistinctly and Tori pulled her pants up, wincing as the rough material scrapped her bottom.

"Yeah, just a second!"

Tori fanned her face to no avail. No matter what, she'd look guilty. Trina most likely wouldn't figure it out but she'd know Tori had been up to something.

"Hi," she tried to say casually, opening the door just enough to stick her head out through the gap.

Right away, Trina's expression became suspicious. "What are you doing in there?"

"Uh dancing. We all got this totally crazy assignment to pick a non-traditional dance. Kind of embarrassing," Tori forced a laugh. "Me and Jade were practicing."

"Is that who's car is parked out front?"

Tori supposed it was and nodded.

"Okay," Trina said still not sounding like her curiosity was satisfied. "I'll be downstairs."

The instant the door clicked shut, Tori took two long strides to Jade who was once again leaning against her desk. Jade undid Tori's pants and unceremoniously thrust her hand back between her legs. She didn't even need to go past Tori's panties to bring her off.

A few seconds went by with Tori attempting to catch her breath, resting a bit of her weight on Jade. Regardless of her inexperience in these matters, Tori dimly realized that she should return the favour.

"What about you?" She asked Jade, the question sounding stupid.

"I'm good," Jade said a bit too fast.

Tori gave her a quizzical look but Jade didn't say anything more. She couldn't think of a reason why Jade declined. Then again, there was a lot about this situation she didn't understand. She went over to her bed and plunked down on it.

"I had a crush on Robbie once," Tori said randomly.

Jade looked up at her, studying Tori's expression. "And I care because?"

Tori shrugged her shoulders. "You told me about Sinjin."

"We were standing under mistletoe," Jade told her, picking up Tori's photo from camp again. They both grew quiet. From downstairs, came Trina's voice. She was talking on the phone. Most likely, she was ordering food even though their parents had left plenty of ready to cook meals for them.

"Some of the things he makes that puppet say are pretty damn funny," Jade said speaking about Robbie again.

"Really?" This was surprising to Tori who realized this was the most genuine conversation she'd ever had with Jade. Of course, Tori hadn't made the effort to get to know her, never bothered and figured Jade felt likewise. But she had witnessed Jade's superficial mask slip recently and Tori sort of wanted to know what else was underneath it.

"I just don't like giving Robbie the satisfaction of laughing." Jade held up the framed camp picture she'd been looking at. "You're adorable here, by the way."

The off-hand compliment caught Tori off guard, spurring an odd emotion which she couldn't identify.

"Thanks," she hesitated. "It was a leadership camp."

"Leadership camp?"

"Yeah," Tori said looking away. "I used to be shy. Like really shy. I was having trouble in school talking to teachers and other kids."

"You? Shy? That's hard to believe," Jade commented dryly.

"It's not like I'm trying to always be the center of attention or anything."

Tori got up and yanked the picture out of Jade's hands. Jade laughed at her and sat down in the chair at the side of the desk. "My parents sent me to a boot camp if it makes you feel better."

"Were you really that bad?"

Jade crossed her legs in the chair and rested one elbow on Tori's desk. "I got my nose and eyebrow pierced and got a black light for my room. I guess that must have meant I was killing puppies and worshiping the devil."

"I like your eyebrow piercing," Tori said carefully, still not entirely used to being able to talk so freely with the girl who was supposed to hate her. "I sort of thought about getting one when I first saw it."

Jade tilted forward in the chair. "No way. Get a needle and some rubbing alcohol. We can do it right now."

"Uh yeah, no thanks. That's alright," Tori said, laughing.

They went back and forth that way, exchanging big and small secrets and some that Tori hadn't told anyone about. What she revealed to Jade wasn't monumental but still no one else knew and honestly, Tori couldn't discern why she was telling her at all.

"Anyway, I'm leaving," Jade said when the light coming in through Tori's window began to diminish. "If my dad doesn't see my car parked in the driveway by nine, he'll flip out."

Jade walked out of her room without another word. Downstairs, Trina called out a goodbye followed by an angry complaint.

"Tori! Your freaky friend gave me the finger!" Trina yelled from the kitchen.

**0o0o0o0o0**

That night, Tori not only finished her history assignment but managed to clean her room from top to bottom. For months she'd been avoiding the mess in her closet and Tori even straightened that out. She tried working on another song but unfortunately couldn't come up with anything. This time however, struggling to create music didn't bother her as much as it usually did. All in all, Tori had an amazing few days and she could not believe that they were the result of what she was doing with Jade. Except that's exactly what it seemed like.


	4. Careful What You're Feeling

_A/N: Well I tried to inject smut into this story but it just wasn't happening. It has a life of its own now and it's going in a direction I was not ready for so definitely let me know what you think :)_

* * *

><p>Having the capability to check her marks online was one of the best things about Hollywood Arts, Tori thought, particularly when waiting to get results on a tough test. A test she dared to hope that she might have actually done very well on. Art history was a daunting class for her but lately, due to specific circumstances, Tori was on a roll. Peeking through her eyelashes after clicking the 'marks' button, Tori saw ninety-one percent beside the test's title. Her jaw dropped open in surprise. Maybe she logged in on someone else's account.<p>

"What?" Jade asked, sitting on the bed, playing some game on her cell and half-paying attention.

"I got an A on that avant-garde art test we had," Tori said and pushed away from the desk, doing a semicircle swivel in her cobalt-coloured chair to face her.

"And?"

"I've been doing bad in that class all year. I can't believe this," Tori marveled.

"Congratulations," Jade said sarcastically, glancing up at her for a split second. Something caught Jade's eye and she looked again.

"Are you seriously not wearing any underwear under that skirt?"

Tori blushed a little but she was far past any inhibition when it came to Jade. And why shouldn't she be? In front of everyone, they played their fitting parts. Jade would belittle her in class and fight with her during lunch and Tori would pretend to get offended or angry. But in these cracks of reality, they were different people to each other.

Tori parted her knees by a fraction giving Jade the tiniest, teasing glimpse. There was no way she'd be able to behave this way with anyone else. Definitely not with a guy, in which case what she was doing would make her feel skanky.

"Holy shit," Jade said just above a whisper.

Recklessly dropping her cell on the bed, the game forgotten, Jade came to stand above her. They stared at each other for a while. Then, not breaking the eye contact, Jade got down on her knees in front of Tori. This was something they had not yet done and uncertainty caught up with Tori all at once. Clumsily, she tried to reposition her legs but Jade caught her shins and prevented her from shifting away. If she wanted to, Tori could break free and she would have if not for the way Jade was looking at her. The raven-haired girl shook her head, chasing away Tori's embarrassment.

"Stop," she said almost politely, telling her rather than demanding and let go of her legs.

Tori stopped fidgeting and heat bloomed in her chest at Jade's steady, approving gaze.

"Open your legs," she said gently.

The heat spilled out, sending wave after searing wave over Tori's entire body. She didn't think she'd ever get enough of this, the way Jade could control her, the effect she had on her. Breathing accelerating, Tori did as she was asked.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Most of the time, Trina thought about herself. Some people might call that selfish—many people actually _did_ call it selfish—but Trina couldn't help being so ambitious. Ambitious people lived by a different set of rules. Priorities were different when you were ambitious and the most valuable portion of an ambitious person's life was their time. So despite her parents leaving specific instructions with her and Tori, Trina didn't think they would be too upset to find that when it was her turn to cook dinner, she ordered out instead. Honestly, she couldn't be expected to use her time for preparing food. Besides, the take-out she ordered was very reasonably priced and it came in cute containers.

"Tori! Dinner!" She hollered, untying the simple knots in the plastic bags of the delivered food.

There was of course no answer from upstairs. All week, Tori had been acting strange, Trina thought. The two songs she wrote were incredible and Trina worked very hard to not be jealous. This proved to be complicated after she overheard Tori and Andre discussing a collaboration which would result in an entire album of original songs. How it was possible for Tori to develop a songwriting talent overnight, Trina didn't know. On top of that, Jade had been hanging around quite a bit. Trina figured it was because her boyfriend was away and she was bored or something. But she could've sworn that Jade didn't like Tori. That whole dancing project thing was a lie of course but Trina couldn't figure out what the truth was or even could be.

"Tori! Get down here already!"

She was _not_ going to yell again. She shouldn't have yelled at all really, her throat was too precious for that. Pausing briefly and listening for footsteps, Trina finally concluded that she'd have to go up there. Considering Jade was up in Tori's room, Trina didn't exactly want to but she was the older and more responsible (and more talented) sister after all.

An occasional creak of the chair and a long sigh came to her ears as she approached the closed door but nothing more. Maybe they _were_ studying some non-traditional dance. Sure sounded quiet and intense in there like they were studying something.

"Tori?" Trina asked, already turning the knob.

Two things happened when the door swung open but they happened so fast that Trina would later question if she had seen them at all. It looked like Tori rotated in her chair very hastily to tuck herself into the desk and Trina could've sworn Jade had just stood up.

"Uh, the food's downstairs if you want it," Trina said, her eyes narrowing to slits, going between the two of them and watching as Jade used the palm of her hand to wipe her mouth.

"I'll be right down," Tori said, seemingly absorbed in something she was examining on the computer.

"And you?" Trina asked Jade, attempting to play nice.

Jade opened her mouth as if to answer but then Tori spoke up again. "She can't. She has to go pick up Beck from the airport."

Existing outside of the state of affairs, Trina had no idea that Jade didn't have to pick Beck up for another two hours. Nor did she know that Tori didn't even consider the idea that Jade might actually _want_ to stay for dinner.

What Trina _did _know, or at least what she saw, was an unidentifiable emotion flit across Jade's features.

"Yeah, I should probably leave early. Traffic's a bitch at this time of the day," Jade said slowly.

All three of them stayed awkwardly as they were, Tori at the computer, Jade in front of her desk and Trina in the doorway. Finally Jade picked up her bag and left silently. Trina thought the whole thing was a bit weird but said nothing since, really, she didn't care all that much. If Tori wanted to socialize with wackos that was her problem.

"Don't take your sweet darn time either or I'll throw your share out. Japanese food smells revolting when it sits out too long," she said to Tori and went back downstairs. Her job was done.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Oh wow," Tori said, trying to catch her breath.

"Yup," Jade responded smugly.

She was standing in front of Tori's vanity mirror, putting lip-gloss on. In the span of half an hour, she had made Tori climax not just once but twice. This largely stemmed from a heated argument in which Jade claimed she could make Tori come in just fifteen minutes if she wanted to and to prove her point, Jade did it two times in a row. Taking into account the fact that Beck was back from San Diego and now their meetings were few and far between, Tori wanted to tell her that this feat wasn't as impressive as Jade thought. But she figured she'd let Jade have this victory.

"Maybe you can untie me?" Tori asked hopefully.

Jade looked at her in the mirror. Tori's writs were bound by amber fleece scarves to the iron rods of her bed's headboard. A headboard which had quite possibly carved niches into the wall behind it from Tori's earlier exertion on the bed.

Jade's eyes returned to her reflection. "No, I don't think so."

"Well could at least throw a blanket over me?" She asked.

Tori's top was partially unbuttoned revealing a checkered bra but her jeans, along with her panties, were balled up at the foot of the bed. Jade mockingly rolled her eyes although she did walk up to the bed to free her. She stooped over Tori to get to the tied scarves. There was a tense moment when they realized how close their faces were but then Jade looked away quickly, concentrating on undoing the knots. Somehow, an unspoken agreement had been made concerning kissing and, aside from the brief kiss they shared in the equipment room, they both avoided doing it. Same went for Jade being on the receiving end of their festivities. Unwittingly, it was always and only Tori.

Thirty minutes of having your arms suspended above your head made them incredibly stiff and Tori's arms stayed up even after Jade finished untying her. Tori thought Jade would help her up delicately but instead she just yanked her off the bed.

"Gee, thanks."

Tori gave her a cynical smile, rotating her shoulders to get the feeling back into them.

"Like a band-aid. Better to just get it done," Jade replied, while Tori went over to her white-wood dresser.

"Go first," Tori, said.

"Okay. I don't really like having condiments on my burgers and hotdogs," Jade began, falling easily into their routine.

"Any what?" Tori asked, rooting through a drawer for fresh panties.

"Condiments. Ketchup, mustard . . . I don't like it."

"But I've seen you eat burgers with all that stuff on them before."

The drawer was full of underwear she didn't want to wear at the moment. All her good pairs must have been in the wash.

"I'll eat it if it's already on there," Jade said indifferently, watching Tori's naked bum flex and curve as the other girl paraded into her closet to search for possibly overlooked panties there.

"I don't really like Ke$ha," Tori said from the depths of the walk-in, her voice slightly muffled.

"So you just pretended to like her to fit in?" Jade scoffed, sitting down at her desk.

"No," Tori replied with a raised eyebrow. She had come back out wearing pink undies with yellow swirls. "I wanted to help Andre since he likes her."

"And get out of being your sister's slave for a week."

"And that too."

Tori smiled, pulling her jeans back on. She couldn't believe how easy she could talk to Jade out of all people. Jade's ridicule and criticism at anything she said was inevitable and knowing that was oddly consoling. It made it easier to say what she'd normally fear to say.

"I'm thinking of breaking up with Beck."

The air turned dead still in the room. Tori halted, the button of her jeans slipping out of her fingers. The first thing that came to her mind was so absurd that it couldn't be true. All the same, she couldn't look at Jade just now.

"Why?"

The word came out much quieter than she meant, betraying what she was thinking about.

"Because," Jade divulged ineptly. "Because we've been together for so long that I don't even know what we're doing anymore. It's like a routine."

Tori did look up then, those wide, green eyes confirming exactly what she was thinking and suddenly it felt like her heart had been submerged in ice water. She had to fix this.

"I—I don't think that's a good idea," she said, faltering as she went over to her bag and busied herself with taking out some homework. "I mean he really loves you and you worked so hard to get him back the first time."

Putting textbooks on her bed, Tori could feel Jade's eyes burning a hole in her back. It took all of her effort to not turn around and meet that demanding stare again. She couldn't bear it.

"Right. I know. I wasn't totally serious or anything," Jade said, her voice uneven, on the edge of some raw emotion. "I should take off."

"Yeah, I have some work to do. Sikowitz's invisible prop assignment is due tomorrow and I haven't even started."

"I finished it yesterday." Jade stated, putting on her sweater.

That heavy, uncomfortable moment was quickly being swept under the rug by both of them. For a second, they came very close to admitting that something was happening here. Something more than just mindless, physical fun which was all that it was to Tori. Hanging out with Jade after they finished was nice, great even, but they couldn't be together. Like _together_, together. Like a couple. That would just be insane.

"Really? You're lucky you're done."

A new tension grew. Tori was too shy to directly ask Jade for help with her schoolwork and Jade was too standoffish to offer but both didn't want the night to end just yet. Their earlier conversation was forgotten but it had definitely changed something between them.

"What did you do for yours?" Tori asked finally.

"I'm not revealing my piece till tomorrow. You're such a superstar, you should be able to figure out what to do," she said with her typical rancor but sat back down at Tori's desk anyway. Tori couldn't be sure but she thought Jade looked relieved that Tori had folded.

Tori walked over to her, showing Jade some quick notes she made outlining what she wanted to do for her performance in class tomorrow. Scanning the page, Jade reached over for a pen and added a few pointers.

Within ten minutes, they were back to talking comfortably again. Doing homework together and chatting casually came to them just as easily as their diversion of exchanging secrets. But that's all it was, Tori assured herself. It was all just 'doing specific things' with Jade. Never, ever spending time with Jade or hanging out with Jade or . . . being with Jade. Never that.


	5. It Could Go This Far

_A/N: I said it before and I'll say it again; this story got away from me. I did want to write a fic with this sort of theme - I just didn't think it would come out of *this* story. I'm glad it did though. A huge thanks to all who read and review and provide insight. One little detail; the bit where it says 'past few months' in reference to Beck and Jade's relationship, that is suppose to imply they were having issues before Tori came into the picture. Just so that's clear. But enough of this, on with the show!_

* * *

><p>Nearly any teenager would be thrilled at the idea of legitimately missing a week of school. Nearly every Hollywood Arts students would be ecstatic to miss a week of school due to a walk-on role on a relatively popular show. But Beck wasn't the average guy. As happy as he was about the part, he did miss his friends and most of all Jade. Even though for the past few months they weren't as close as they used to be, Beck still loved her a whole lot.<p>

One of his favourite things to do was watch her when she didn't think anyone was looking. He sat in class with his essay –the one they were supposed to be using the period to revamp— but his focus was on Jade. She was two desks over, writing something, although Beck had a hard time believing it was anything constructive. Her head rested in the cradle of her fingers and he watched her pen as it did idle swirls on the paper in front of her.

After a few minutes, Beck returned to his essay. Sadly, he could really use this in-class help since his last essay earned him hardly a C and now there were already three other people lined up at the teacher's desk. The last person in line was Tori. She switched her weight from one foot to the other as she waited. She was wearing a simple cream-coloured tank, a maroon sweater, and dark jeans that hung low on her hips. Beck tried not to stare. Really, he did. It didn't exactly help that Tori was facing the other way in line with her back to it and standing perfectly in view to him.

That wide streak of exposed, tanned skin where her shirt ended and her jeans began was so tantalizing. Her flat belly, her distinct hip bones; Beck could not avert his eyes. Suddenly Tori hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of the jeans, presumably to keep her hands from fidgeting but the action tugged her pants lower. They dipped, showing off more abs and that well-defined v-shape which ultimately led all the way down to her. . . Beck swallowed thickly. It was almost as if she was doing it on purpose or something.

Cropping up just above the line of the dark jeans was a turquoise thong. Beck could see the thin elastic of it circling one hip and, like every guy, he just _then_ thought of the possibility that Tori might have noticed him gawking. Slowly and reluctantly, Beck met her eyes and realized that she was staring. Just not at him. He followed that gaze and saw his own girlfriend, staring right back, her pen at her mouth.

In a hurry, Beck went back to his essay, not knowing why but feeling like he was witnessing something he shouldn't be. It couldn't have been what it looked like. There was no way.

For the rest of the period, Beck sat at his desk, re-reading the same paragraph over and over and not thinking one, concrete thought.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Gee you think you made enough noise getting through the window?" Tori whispered, crawling back under her covers in the dark.

"Shut up, Vega," Jade shot back in harsh, hushed tones, following Tori across the room.

She joined her on the queen bed but, unlike Tori, Jade lay on top of the blanket. Resting on one elbow, Jade tangled fingers in Tori's hair and wrenched her head to the side in a move bordering on painful. It caused Tori to moan faintly. As much as she denied it, Tori loved when Jade got rough with her. Jade attached her mouth to Tori's now exposed neck, biting and sucking lightly, making Tori's toes curl under the blanket.

"You were really asking for it today," Jade breathed out, her voice abusing Tori for her overenthusiastic behavior in class, though Tori knew she wasn't sincere. This was the game they played.

"Are you complaining?" Tori teased back.

She felt Jade smile against her neck then sucked in air through her teeth when Jade bit that same spot. Strangely, what Tori had meant to say was something about her essay, about how it would be due soon and she needed this to concentrate. That's why she wanted this. Of course it was why.

"Watch that mouth Vega," Jade said, lifting off the bed to pull the top corner of the blanket from beneath her.

She slithered her hand under, trailing fingers up Tori's stomach, tickling the slight dip just below her ribs, moving further up to cup her breast. Jade swiped her thumb back and forth over Tori's nipple until it became hard. Then she pinched it savagely, sending those wonderful pleasure-pain pulses through Tori's body. Tori's back bowed and she shut her mouth just in time for the uncontrollable moan to escape through her nose in a strident hum.

"You're so sensitive," Jade uttered heatedly, pinching the other nipple and coercing another moan from Tori.

In the darkness, everything had an inmate quality and when Tori turned to her, seeing light reflecting dimly in the whites of her eyes, seeing her looking back, she almost did it. She almost kissed Jade. At the last second, something held her back. A warning alarm rang in her mind. _Careful_, that alarm sang and although Tori didn't understand why she should be careful, she was vaguely aware that she could probably figure it out if she just thought about it. But Jade's hand was already moving down, going other places and Tori's mind went blissfully blank.

**0o0o0o0o0**

By eleven o'clock, Trina finished most of her before-bed routine. All that she had left was the Power Meditation for Motivation and Assurance. At least that's what it said on the cover of the package which she purchased online. Trina positioned herself in the kneeling lotus on the mediation pillow (the full lotus always cramped her legs), lightly set her hands on her knees, touching forefinger to thumb and took a deep breath.

No music came on.

That was okay, she knew there was bit of silence before it was supposed to start. She waited longer and still nothing happened. Finally Trina opened one eye to look at the glowing display of her mp3 player, checking if the track was even playing. It wasn't.

Trina puffed in irritation and got up. If only her parents were willing to spend that little extra and buy the remote for her player like she asked!

She was about to hit 'play' when, from across the hall, she heard the curt squeal of Tori's window sliding open. Whatever, she shrugged, flicking the button and sitting back down on her pillow. The music came, soft and lulling, occasionally punctured by soothing dolphin calls. Usually Trina responded to those calls with her own dolphin sounds –it was her power animal after all—but this night she was distracted. There was definitely more noise coming from Tori's room than there should be this late.

Some older siblings were snoops but she was not one of them. Trina simply believed that it was her duty to be accountable for Tori and she needed to guide her sister through life. In the company of that very justifiable thought, Trina tip-toed out of her room and across the hall. She stood as close to Tori's door as possible without touching the actual wood. Classically, she could only hear her own breathing at first. Trina counted out a good ten seconds of silence and was about to return to her room when she heard Tori moan. Another, longer, one followed and was cut short like maybe someone covered Tori's mouth. There was whispering and then a breathless 'yes!' from her sister.

Trina's eyes grew wide. Was she out of her mind? Their parent's bedroom was just down the freakin' hall and if they found out Tori had a guy in her bedroom, they'd pull her out of Hollywood Arts! Trina had to manage this.

Her light tapping on the door, thankfully went unheard. The 'guy' in the room spoke louder except of course it wasn't a guy at all. Trina knew exactly who it was and her mouth opened so wide in shock, she thought her jaw might lock.

A lot of things began making more sense to her now, the countless little mysteries about Tori unraveling quickly. More intriguing however, was the way Jade acted around Tori. Getting back to her room, Trina thought the whole thing over and decided that she probably knew something that Tori did not. Needless to say, being the older sister, Trina had to help her out in this situation.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The bed creaked and the warmth on Tori's left disappeared. Jade stood in front of Tori's window, her trim figure silhouetted by the street lamps outside.

"It's late," Tori started. "You can stay here for the night if you want."

"No, I need to go," Jade said, standing on one leg to pull on her other boot.

"Thought you said your dad was away." Tori didn't know much about Jade's mom but it seemed that mainly her dad was concerned with what Jade did.

"Okay fine," Jade said, crossing her arms. "I don't want to stay."

"It's like one in the morning! I just suggested it 'cause I'm worried."

Why the hell did she even want Jade to stay? Considering their last conversation, about Jade's possible breakup, about what it really meant, Tori should be glad that Jade wanted to leave.

"I don't need you to worry about me," Jade said, her bitterness actually making Tori upset for some reason when it never did before.

All of this was so stupid. Tori got what she needed; that amazing inspirational surge which she always captured after being with Jade. Tomorrow was Sunday and after this, she'd have no trouble finishing off that essay.

"Okay. Well I'll see you Monday then," Tori said, a hollow feeling spreading under her ribcage.

"Whatever," Jade muttered, and slipped out the window onto Tori's roof, not bothering to slide the window closed behind her.

**0o0o0o0o0**

What a two-faced, lying cheat, Trina thought as she spied Jade flirtatiously talking with Beck and kissing him goodbye. Trina wasn't sure what _exactly_ was going on with Jade and her sister but she did know two very important things. One, having closely studied facial expressions as part of her last unit in drama class, Trina had a pretty good idea as to where Jade stood on the matter. The second thing was that there was an injustice here. An injustice which involved her sister and that meant Trina was perfectly in her right stick her nose in.

"Jade!"

Jade was making her way down the hallway. She glanced up and continued without stopping when she saw Trina but Trina wasn't about to let this go and she hurried up to Jade, grabbing her forearm.

"I thought I made it clear that you were never to touch me," Jade said, shaking off her grip.

"Yes that's very interesting. You know what else is interesting? Your whereabouts Saturday night," Trina said, relishing the tiny way Jade's eyes flashed when she said it. "Maybe your boyfriend would also find that interesting."

Besides her eyes, nothing else about Jade betrayed that she might be concerned. Trina had to admit that the girl had some acting skills.

"What do you want?"

"I like that. Straight to bargaining, no chit-chat. You'll go far in showbiz with that attitude," Trina said and meant it. "What's up with you and my sister?"

"You already know what's up. If you didn't, we wouldn't be talking right now," Jade told her.

"I want details!" Trina stated with an arrogant smile.

There was no way Jade would tell her anything juicy but Trina wanted to push her buttons for a different reason. Jade just rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. Again, Trina grabbed her.

"One more time and you're losing a finger," Jade advised sourly, shaking her off once more.

Trina was done playing around however. It was time to ask what she had meant to ask all along. She just needed to set it up properly.

"Does she know?"

Yup. Bingo, Trina had been right on the money. Jade's complexion paled slightly but, to her credit, that was her lone giveaway.

"Does she know what?" Jade asked, playing dumb.

"Oh please! I might be self-absorbed but I'm not that oblivious. Or blind," Trina said. "You're in love with her."

Instead of becoming even more troubled as Trina assumed, Jade's expression turned blank. Very slowly, she neared Trina. Her light, green eyes dangerously circled to her.

"If you say anything to anyone, especially your sister, I will cut out that tongue of yours and stick it to my locker as a decorational piece."

Trina believed her too. "You need to tell her," she choked out.

"I don't need to do anything," Jade said, that crazy look disappearing from her eyes to Trina's relief. She also commenced walking off again.

"Look, I'm sure you've noticed Tori always seems to get what she wants," Trina said, keeping pace beside her. "As her sister, I see it happening all the time. It's totally unfair that she gets away with—

"What's your point?" Jade cut off Trina's sibling rant.

"She's totally goal-oriented too," Trina said, ducking a few people as the two of them turned a corner in the hallway. Jade either didn't hear her or chose not to respond. "She's kind of a completist. Once she gets what she wants, she moves on to the next goal."

"So?" Jade asked, stopping short of the stairs leading to the school's second floor.

"So, has Tori called this little affair of yours off?" Trina asked, speaking quietly.

Jade looked like she might be ready to cut out her tongue as promised but Trina saw her marginally shake her head in answer.

"Then she hasn't gotten what she wants," Trina finished effectively. "She just hasn't realized it's you yet and believe me she won't. Not unless you say something to her first."

Something shone in Jade's eyes but she looked away before Trina could identify it. When Jade turned back, it was gone. "Why are you telling me this?"

Trina shrugged. "Beck's cute. And maybe soon he'll be available too."

She said this because it's what she knew Jade would expect her to say. Truth be told though, Trina admired Tori. She totally thought it would be bold and progressive if her sister started dating another girl and she wanted to be able to say that it all happened thanks to her.

"You're not his type," Jade said after a pause, going for the stairs.

Trina trotted after her. "At least think about what I said!" She shouted up the stairwell.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The day was long, hot and smelled a little bit like manure. Considering they were all on a farm set, the reek of cow dung was puzzling.

"I know they wanted to be authentic, but this is just crazy," Andre said in disgust, pinching his nose.

He appeared to be more bothered by the smell than anyone. Robbie darted up to them out of nowhere with Rex on one hand and a candy apple in the other.

"This is awesome! Did you guys see the baby ducks? They were so cute."

"I want to see baby ducks!" Cat exclaimed, getting excited. "Is that where you got your candy apple?"

"No, he found it on the ground," Rex revealed .

"You said you wouldn't tell! Plus, there was nothing wrong with it!" Robbie argued.

"Yeah but there's definitely something wrong with you," Rex shot back and for the first time, Tori noticed the subtle way Jade covered up a tiny smirk with her hand.

Robbie ignored his puppet and told Cat to follow him to the ducks.

"I can't believe Beck is missing this!" He said as they walked away.

Beck left for yet another week. Apparently the producers of the show liked him enough to turn his walk-on role into a speaking part and he was called back.

"Yeah, poor Beck. Enjoying a beach while we get to inhale cow crap," Jade said, casting her eyes around the place.

Before that, her eyes had been on Tori. Ever since the beginning of their field trip to the set of Country Living, Tori kept catching her looking over. She suspected it might have something to do with the orange sundress and cowboy boots she decided on wearing.

Last chance they got to meet up, which was in Tori's bedroom, had been almost two weeks ago. Time had erased any awkwardness of that night and when Beck told them he'd be leaving for San Diego again, Tori couldn't believe her anticipation. The fact that she was no longer thinking about anything related to school work, that she was truly looking forward to spending time with Jade, escaped Tori's awareness.

Tori snuck another peek just in time to see Jade turn away, biting her lip and trying to hide a guilty smile. In her denim shorts, loose, gauzy tank and aviator sunglasses Jade looked pretty darn hot herself, Tori thought.

"This is crazy!" Andre said, his eyes beginning to water. "I must be allergic to something on this farm."

"You should definitely get that checked out," Jade said to him, in a rather clear effort to get him to leave.

At least it was obvious to Tori who was hoping for the same thing. Her heart did a little flutter in her chest when Jade brushed her arm apparently by accident. If it Andre wasn't here, Tori thought she might actually jump Jade for once.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Andre supposed and sneezed. "Is it normal for the inside of your ears to be itchy?"

"Only if you're about to have a serious allergic reaction. Go! Go now before it's too late!" Jade exclaimed, pointing towards the main studio.

Andre head in the direction Jade pointed, using his pinky to dig into one of his ears as he went. Once he got far away enough, Jade motion towards a large, red silo a few feet away.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Aside from a few crates, the inside of the silo was empty. Light seeped in through narrow replicating slots a few feet above them. But both girls hardly observed any of this.

Tori lay against the steel panel wall of the silo, Jade restraining her wrists loosely on either side of her. In defiance of the hold, Tori curved away from the steel wall, compelling Jade to force her back down with her body.

"Fuck Vega, you look beautiful in that dress," Jade uttered, sucking on a particularly sensitive spot just underneath Tori's jaw.

"Thanks," Tori gasped, tilting her head to give Jade better access, the compliment catching her slightly off guard as it usually did.

Jade lifted the delicate material of the dress, reaching underneath and smoothing her hand into Tori's panties. They both exhaled shakily when her fingers slipped in, Jade sending puffs of warm air along her neck.

What undid their control was Tori, very gently, swaying her hips into Jade's hand. A fierce intensity swept through them then, Jade beginning to rock her own hips in rhythm with Tori's. This time around Jade didn't order her to do anything, she didn't command as before. She simply did what Tori wanted, gave it to her; an instinctive awareness born out of their intimacy.

Jade's other hand hooked under Tori's knee. The material of Tori's dress slid back when Jade lifted her leg, opening her up to the fingers which continued thrusting between Tori's thighs. Tori let out a startled gasp.

"Oh Jade,"

A sound, short and rough, came out of Jade's throat at hearing her name and all of a sudden, Tori was staring straight into those sea green eyes.

She forgot about the rule.

Their lips met almost desperately, mouths opening as they crashed together again and again. Tori's hands ran down Jade's back, taking a hold of her hips, encouraging them along. This was the first time she had touched Jade in this manner but Tori wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking that she would do anything to hear Jade moan or sigh with pleasure again.

Then Jade was pulling away, untangling from her and shoving her into the wall.

"Goddamnit Tori," she panted, not looking at her.

"Wh—

"Don't say it!" She yelled without warning. "Don't even fucking say 'what'. You know exactly 'what'."

They started tensely at each other. A million things were rushing through Tori's head. Too many emotions for her catch, confusing her, so she hung on to the one she understood.

"I thought we were having fun," she said, because that was the nicest way she could think to put what her reasonable mind was saying to her.

"Fun? You're an idiot."

Jade was right. Tori knew what she had done, she had broken the rule that kept this whole thing in an emotion-free limbo. How could she have been stupid enough to believe this wasn't going to get complicated? A bittersweet voice spoke up in her mind, _because you weren't expecting her to be so softhearted underneath that mask, were you Tori?_ That was the truth of it. Anyone taking bets would have put their money on Tori falling first, on her getting hurt. Not Jade.

"Jade I . . ."

But there was nothing to say. No way to tell her that she didn't feel that way without any sting. Even silence couldn't ease that hurt.

"That's what I thought," Jade said, her voice thick as her throat worked to swallow a lump.

Her aviators were lying on the ground. She walked up to them, put them on.

There was no possibility of Tori knowing how stupid Jade felt at that moment. How angry Jade was at having listened to Trina and believing her. All that Tori saw was Jade's expression closing off, becoming that mask she always wore.

Jade unclasped the handle on the silo door to leave. She paused, half in half out, the sunlight from outside splashing across her torso. Jade's head tilted in her direction but even with the sunglasses on, Tori knew she wasn't looking at her.

"This thing between us, it's finished."

Tori suspected as much. What she didn't expect was the pain in her chest. It felt like someone sucked all the air out of her lungs. She hadn't meant for this to happen, she didn't want to hurt Jade. Maybe it did mean more to Tori than just fun, she allowed herself to admit at least that, but she certainly did not feel the same way Jade felt. _Maybe you should think about that again,_ her heart spoke up using that same bittersweet voice, the one which tried to warn her. But Tori didn't listen.

Tori stood there for a long time before she was composed enough to leave.


	6. UhOh I Want More

_A/N: Well the story is almost told. Hope you guys are enjoying it and thank you very much for all the reviews._

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><p>Unbridled anger coursed through Tori, the painful grief she suffered in the silo easily and gladly replaced with this one consuming instinct. She launched a series of justified justs which, to her, summarized everything perfectly. It <em>just<em> happened because Sinjin was clumsy, they were _just_ having fun, it was _just_ a kiss, and if Jade _just _admitted how unimportant this whole thing was, then Tori could stop being so angry.

The problem was that Tori couldn't bring herself to accost Jade and, despite Tori not knowing this, Jade was too proud to approach her. So they stayed away from each other. Yet they did not entirely avoid one another either and instead circled like magnets trapped in a perpetual motion machine.

Then a bombshell hit; Beck and Jade broke up.

It was huge news at Hollywood Arts. All the gossip was extremely dramatic with plenty of rumors flying, albeit quietly given that everyone was too scared of Jade to make too much public noise. Most of it was traded through text messages, so neither Beck nor Jade had to deal with a lot of unpleasantness. Privately, the break up was very cordial and more interestingly it was mutual. Beck did love Jade and Jade loved him but for a long time, that love had been platonic. They were able to remain friends and not just the type of friends that broken up couples say they will be, but true friends.

Tori started out thinking the break up was her fault or at least she was partially to blame. Although she doubted that Jade would do that over what happened. Even Tori knew how narcissistic that came off and she was not that egotistical. Besides, the break up didn't change anything between Jade and her. And when Tori thought of confronting her about it or simply talking to her, that earlier anger returned and something else balloon behind it which Tori couldn't identify. Whatever it was, it could wait.

**0o0o0o0o0**

With everything that was going on in his romantic life, Beck was reasonably happy. Jade might no longer be his girlfriend but, and not to get too arrogant about it, by no means did he have trouble meeting new girls. He knew the break-up was coming, was pretty sure Jade knew it too. They'd been putting if off for too long and now that it was over and done with, they both felt better.

On a much more positive note, his role as Surfer Guy #3 evolved into 'Nick' with six lines. The experience was a terrific addition to his resume and the job paid a decent sum as well. The day Beck received his payment, he decided to treat everyone to burgers from the Grub Truck.

Festus was overjoyed when Beck chose to get six Mile High burgers considering they were the biggest and most expensive things on the menu. While Beck waited for his food away form the line, Tori came up to the truck not noticing him. He realized she hadn't been there when he announced he'd be getting lunch for them all.

"Hey Tori," he called out and waved.

"Oh hi Beck, are you waiting for your order?"

"Yeah, Festus is taking forever in there." In truth, only a few minutes passed.

"Pretty boy, you want me to drop the burgers on the floor? And my floor, it isn't very clean," Festus said, poking his head out of the order window.

"I'm kidding!" Beck said with a wide smile and came near Tori. "Don't worry about buying anything, I'm paying for lunch."

"Oh yeah? Mile High burgers?" Everyone at Hollywood Arts quickly learned about the Mile High's epic taste.

"You better believe it," he said crossing his arms confidently.

Tori was wearing this nice violet dress, with a wide belt, or something, in the middle and looked exceptionally pretty. Maybe it'd be too soon to ask her out but Beck thought that in time he definitely would. A lot of people at the school already thought they were secretly going out anyway.

"Here you go." Festus leaned out through the window with six high-stacked burgers on a plastic blue tray.

Taking it from him, Beck said in awe, "It's so heavy!"

The burgers were clearly not a mile high but stood at a good seven inches of a tasty beef-bacon and onion ring combination. An insane image came to Beck's mind; sitting in the backseat of his car, eating all the burgers by himself. Nah, there was probably some drawback to that which he hadn't predicted.

"Wanna help me put the trimmings on?" He asked Tori.

"Sure!"

That's what he liked about Tori the most, Beck concluded, she was always willing to pitch in. Beck rested the tray on the short shelf where Festus kept the condiments. One by one, Beck flipped open the buns of the burgers and squirted ketchup on them. Tori followed with mustard. When he got to the last burger, Tori knocked his hand away.

"Whoa! What are you doing?"

Beck looked down at the plastic squeeze bottle of ketchup in his hand, checking to see if maybe he was aiming it wrong.

"I thought I was putting ketchup on a burger. I guess I'm not?"

"Jade doesn't like that stuff on her burger, remember?"

Now he was really confused. "Um no. Who doesn't like ketchup on their burger?"

"Jade doesn't. You mean . . ." Tori licked her lips nervously. "You didn't know that?"

"No," he said very slowly. "She never told me she didn't like ketchup on her burgers."

"Oh."

Tori was staring at the mustard bottle in her hand, lost in some important thought Beck could only guess at. "Did she tell you that?"

She glanced up at him, a mixture of dismay and surprise on her face. The mustard bottle dropped rather than came out of her hand.

"I—I have to go. I'll see you later."

"What about your burger?" Beck yelled out, even though what he really wanted to know was what happened between Tori and Jade, what secret they were hiding.

Tori however didn't answer and she didn't have lunch with them.

Jade became stiff and impassive once he told her that her burger didn't have any ketchup or mustard on it because Tori said not to put it on.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The flow of students exiting Hollywood Arts' main doors had slowed down to a trickle and Tori thought that, even though Jade's car stood in the lot, the girl left earlier without Tori seeing.

It was such a tiny detail to not like condiments on a burger and Beck hadn't known. When Tori wondered why she cared to do something as stupid as make Jade's burger the way the other girl liked it, that unclear emotion emerged. She still couldn't figure it out. Each time she thought she had it pinned, it got away again. Although one thing she understood, was the need to see Jade.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of black hair streaked with colour. Jade flew over the steps and Tori chased her. She was too nervous to call out. Jade made to her car and just as she was about to close the driver-side door, Tori came in and stopped her.

"What do you want?" Jade asked, looking straight ahead through her windshield.

There was a void where there should have been words. In her ardent insistence to talk to Jade, Tori didn't think of what she would say. _Something_. _Something_, the idiot alarm gleamed in her mind; _I'll say something_.

"I don't know," Tori said at last because the silence was stretching out and needed filling.

"That's great," Jade commented with a humorless smile.

She reached out of her seat to grab the door handle and shut the door. Tori overpowered her effort.

"Please," Tori uttered. "Wait."

Nothing made sense; the anger, the fear, the frustration of not understanding that one elusive emotion. Tori tried to give it all words. "This is hard," she attempted. "I've never felt this way. I—I don't even know _what_ I feel."

A fresh silence broke, both girls staring at different objects in the car. Then Jade said something Tori was not at all expecting.

"What makes you think I still care?"

The shock of that statement temporarily wavered Tori's hold on the car door. Jade leaned out again to wrench it shut. She halted briefly, perhaps changing her mind, and then closed it anyway. Tori took a jumpy step back when the car started up.

Jade gripped the top of her steering wheel with both hands, the engine running but the car remaining in front of Tori. As if against her will, Jade turned to her, looking at Tori through the driver's side window. Her eyes were clouded, confused, a weakness displayed in them. Tori approached the car tentatively recognizing that look; the real Jade, the one behind her mask. But Jade quickly stepped on the gas. The car lurched promptly forward, zoomed out of the spot and out of the parking lot.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Alone and staring off into space, Tori sat at a lunch table. Her actual lunch period ended but she just couldn't bring herself to stand up and leave when the bell rang.

No one yet from their group detect that something was wrong with her, that a stone the size of a horse was resting on her chest making each breath a struggle. Although Tori did hide it well. She was completely lost. There was no longer simply a brew of emotions stewing inside her or even one emotion she didn't understand. Now there was just nothingness. Everything fell into place, she could sense it, but it stayed annoyingly beyond her scope. It felt like standing in front of a tall wall with all the answers on the opposite side and no way to get over. If she could just see over the top or think of a way to break through.

Behind her, some students sat down and began talking loudly. Tori tried to ignore them but one of the girls had a voice that drilled into her ears.

"Told you they'd break up!" She said to her friends and instantly Tori was listening because really, who else could they be talking about?

"Well it was about time Beck realized she was a bitch," another girl said.

"I'd know how to handle a girl like that, if she gave me a chance. Jade is hot!" This came from a guy.

Tori was itching to turn around but she also wanted the conversation to continue and knew it wouldn't if they saw her.

"Yeah . . . I don't think that's going to happen," the first girl said.

"Why not? I'm a good-looking guy, cute and sensitive. Killer combination."

"That's not the problem," the second girl said and Tori could hear the smile in her voice.

The stillness behind her went on for what felt like forever although it probably only lasted a few seconds. Tori's heart was beating heavily, slowly in her chest, waiting to hear the rest.

"I heard she likes chicks now," one of the girls whispered.

"What!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down," the other girl scolded her guy friend. "You know what _I_ heard? She already hooked up with someone from this school."

Her heart did a jive little dance and for a second, Tori thought she might be sick. This is what it would be like. People talking, calling her a—

"It's probably that girl she hangs out with. The one with the funky, fuchsia hair."

"Cat? Yeah maybe."

It is eerie how one emotion can so sharply shape another and in that moment Tori realized that she didn't fear people talking about her and Jade at all. That girl's one effortless assumption at who Jade might have hooked up with struck Tori like a dart hitting a bull's eye and illuminated the truth she had been unseeing. What Tori felt in that instant was pure and impulsive jealousy. _No!_ She we wanted to scream. _No, not Cat! Jade was with me, she was mine!_

An announcement echoed through the Asphalt Cafe, the outdoor speakers carrying it to all the students eating lunch.

"Tori Vega, please report to class."

Still reeling from what she just discovered, Tori almost didn't hear it until it repeated. She got up on legs which toiled to support her weight and headed back inside the school.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Peeking around the corner and seeing that the coast was clear, Trina trotted to her locker. She arrayed the lock combination faster than she ever had before and exchanged some books from her bag to the metal closet like an academic ninja.

The day was almost over and so far she had escaped punishment. Trina shut the locker door and behind was the face of a green-eyed devil. And the devil was holding a pair of long-bladed scissors. Trina instantly covered up her terror with a false smile.

"Hi Jade. How are you? Well it's been nice chatting but I have to get to class. Ta-ta!"

She tried to go past and Jade pointed at her using the tip of the scissors, halting Trina in her tracks.

"Someone's loose lips have been sinking a lot of ships," Jade said malignantly low.

In defiance of common sense, Trina clamped her teeth tight, protecting her tongue.

"Who did you tell?"

Trina shook her head, still not unlocking her mouth and Jade opened the scissors' blades.

"Okay! Okay! So I told someone. A few people." The scissors neared her oral cavity. "I didn't say anything about Tori!" Trina added frantically.

This seemed to further enrage Jade, her fist now curling in Trina's sweater, pulling her closer and Trina wondered where the teachers were at a time like this.

"I'm sorry! It was just so juicy. I couldn't help myself!" She attested, closing her eyes because she couldn't stand watching those silver blades come any closer. "Did you do it?" She blurted out.

"Did I do what? Did I follow your stupid advice? Yeah, I did. Turned out perfect," Jade said, her voice close.

Trina carefully unsealed her lids and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the scissors very near her neck.

"Did you say it though?" Trina had no idea what she was talking about, she was grasping at straws, wanting to just get those sharp objects away from her soft flesh.

"Yeah I told her and—

Jade stopped unexpectedly, looking off to the side, looking like something dawned on her.

"You didn't actually tell her how you felt did you?"

Jade's nostrils flared; the scissors shook in her hand. Ultimately, she lowered them.

"Stay away from me," Jade growled, and pivoted neatly on her heel.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The nylon straps of the flying harness were snugly secured around Tori. Two wires stemmed from the back of it were attached to a cable at the top. As miserable and conflicted as Tori was, getting to try out the harness first was a great distraction. She was happy she decided on listening to the P.A. announcement.

"Alright!" Sikowitz rubbed his hands together and turned to the rest of the class gathered in the Black Box Theater. "Now, I rented this harness for my brilliant production of Peter Pan."

"Really?" Andre said from the front.

"Is there a problem Mr. Harris?" Sikowitz asked good-naturedly.

"Well no," Andre responded, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Just that Peter Pan seems sort of . . . you know. Typical."

"Not the way I'll be doing it," Skiowitz told them with that strange, little smile which usually meant he was going to suggest something bizarre.

He went over to his shoulder bag and took out a foldover clipboard stuffed with notes. The class watched him open it and go through the crinkly paper, licking his fingertips dramatically as he turned each page. A loud bang shook the theater making everyone jump and Tori's breath catch in her throat.

"Jade! How nice of you to finally join us after your long journey to the bathroom. Did you fall in?" Sikowitz asked, folding the clipboard closed and placing it on a seat.

"Whatever," Jade said, sitting down in the back.

"Hmm," Skiowitz mused aloud to Tori since she was the closest to him. "She usually responds with something more clever."

Tori stared off to the side. She wanted this to be over. She thought she could do this but having Jade in the same room with her was unbearable. Jade might have said that she didn't care but she did and Tori would do whatever she had to do to get Jade to admit it. Because what they shared was incredible, more incredible than Tori allowed herself to realize at first. She missed talking to Jade, getting teased by her and even missed getting Jade's often blunt but frank opinions. She missed Jade period.

"Okay, Tori. Time to fly! Clint, if you will please, " Sikowitz said, nodding to the man from the rental company who had brought the harness and explained its mechanics earlier.

During the initial lift, an unusual twinge pinched Tori's waist near the belt. Believing that was the typical function, Tori didn't mention it. The Black Box Theater measured roughly twenty feet in ceiling height, and so the rig for the harness had been setup differently. Clint tugged harder on the cord, bringing Tori up higher. The pinch in the belt and her hips became uncomfortable. Her hands went to it.

"Hey, this thing—

Something cracked and then time went into slow motion. Tori looked down at the straps and saw that one of the larger clasps snapped in half. The nylon strap was whipping through the break, shifting her body sideways. At this point, Tori still hovered high above the solid floor with the distance quickly closing as Clint attempted to lower her before the harness gave out.

The supporting clasps could no longer bear Tori's weight. Her last inhale sounded echoic to her and the shiny theater floor rushed at her. Then everything went black.


	7. Listen to Your Heart

_A/N: I apologize for the lateness of this update but I've been super busy AND my pc was hit with a virus. Good times. Anywho, hope you guys like this chapter - I'm going to try and deliver the last one sooner than later :) Thank you all for reading and your comments, you guys are amazing!_

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><p>Regaining consciousness had been fairly distressing. Not because Tori couldn't distinguish where she was –hospital rooms were usually evident in appearance and Tori's was typical— but because she could not remember how she got there. Unfortunately, her rousing from black oblivion wasn't anything like on TV where instantly nurses and doctors came rushing in the room, explaining everything in vivid detail. Her memory trickled back bit by bit and Tori searched for the call button, figuring that would be her best option. Pressing it, Tori waited for someone to show up and took that time to pat down her body. Adhesive pads kept ECG electrodes on her chest. There were no casts and no pain which probably meant she was doped up. The single sign of something wrong was her hips which were tightly bandaged and when Tori touched the gauzy strips, she recalled her fall more clearly.<p>

A nurse stuck her head in. Tori recognized her as the same woman who had taken her blood when Robbie needed it.

"How are you feeling?"

At first Tori couldn't produce words. "Water . . ." she finally croaked out.

"There's a pitcher right there on the side table. I'll get the doctor."

Tori nodded and the nurse disappeared. Her hand shook when she tipped the plastic pitcher and poured. Cold relief splashed down her parched throat and she greedily drank the entire cup, clenching it in both hands.

"Hello there Tori," a young doctor said to her.

With messy brown hair and a five o'clock shadow –which was probably due to his long hours rather than fashion— the doctor was handsome enough to remind Tori that, under the covers, she was wearing very little.

"I'm Doctor Ference. How are you feeling?" He asked coming further inside the room.

"I'm okay I guess. Have I been here long?"

Dr. Ference put the metal clipboard he had been holding down on the side table and lifted the sheets near Tori's hip.

"You were admitted about five hours ago," he commented, his fingertips prodding in a straight line along the bone. "The painkillers we gave you made you very drowsy."

"Oh," she uttered as if this explained a lot.

He smiled at her. "I should clarify; you haven't been unconscious due to head trauma so that's a good thing."

"Good," Tori repeated stupidly.

"We took several x-rays of your hips and it looks like you've just got some a bone bruise, what we call a periosteal bruise," he said, flipping the sheets back down.

"What does that mean? Is it bad?" Tori asked, smoothing the covers over nervously.

It didn't sound bad but she wanted to be sure. Certainly bruise was better than break.

"No," he smiled again. It was a very reassuring smile; a doctor's smile. "It's one level below a fracture. It will take about a month to heal. We'll give you ample pain medication as well, you'll need to take anti-inflammatory pills for the swelling."

"Can I walk?" The idea of spending the next month in bed or a wheelchair was not very appealing.

"You most likely can but you should use crutches for at least the first ten days to keep pressure off the left hip."

A look of clear disappointment must have shown on her face because Dr. Ference hastily went on. "I should probably tell you right away that the crutches this hospital has are really out of date. We received them as a hand out from the senior center down the street so many of them smell like mothballs and urine."

"Are you serious?" Tori yelped, not being able to contain it.

"Not at all. They're all brand new and you get to choose from five different colours," he quipped. "I'll let your parents know that you're awake." He grinned, all brilliant white teeth in a prefect row and Tori found it to be infectious.

"Thanks." She smiled back.

Maybe crutches wouldn't be so bad.

**0o0o0o0o0**

One of the most difficult things Tori had to do was conceal her disappointment while four of her closest friends stood in the room. After her parents left, the nurse told her she had some guests which the older woman managed to sneak in just before visiting hours came to a close.

Tori's hopes immediately shot up and when Andre, Cat, Robbie and Beck stepped in, they fell down hard. Two opposite thoughts dueled within her and Tori was too tired to do anything about it; she couldn't believe Jade hadn't come and at the same time, was angry at herself for getting into a situation where she even cared about it. A month ago, Tori wouldn't have given a crap if Jade showed up or not. Right now however, she was trying to swallow past the huge lump in her throat, refusing to accept her own emotions.

"Hollywood Arts is suing the company, you know," Andre said.

"What?" Her parents didn't mention anything about this. Then again maybe they thought she needed rest.

"Yeah Sikowitz was losing it on that guy. Clint or whatever," Robbie told her. "It's all over the school."

"You're going to be famous!" Cat said in a melodic tone.

"Everyone's talking about it. You're probably going to be getting a lot of get-well cards and flowers." Andre smiled.

"And Sikowitz is doing a play based on your accident instead of his Peter Pan thing," Beck added.

"Ha ha, yeah he's calling it 'Girls Can't Fly'." Cat laughed and covered her mouth.

"Great," Tori said dismally. "That's the last thing I need."

"Hey, any publicity is good publicity right?" Beck grinned and walked over to pick up her hand off the covers and hold it in his own. "You'll be out of here in no time and then maybe you and Andre can write a song about this."

"That's right!" Andre exclaimed.

"Aw thanks guys. Thanks for coming to see me," Tori attested, squeezing Beck's hand, biting down on the urge to ask about Jade.

The door to Tori's room burst open unexpectedly and they all looked over at the same time to see the nurse who let them in earlier.

"Alright, everybody out. The girl needs her beauty rest. And her drugs." She held up a small paper cup with pills inside.

They all said their goodbyes and filed out one by one.

"What is that? Vicodin? Percocet? Oxycotin?" Robbie asked, peering in the cup on his way out. "I've had them all. They give you a great high." He winked at Tori.

"Get out," the nurse told him stiffly.

"It's okay. You won't lose your job. Just pretended to drop one on the floor and I'll pick it up." Robbie said this while secretively obscuring his mouth with his hand.

"Boy are you crazy? Get out of here before I call security."

Robbie pulled a wrinkled ten dollar bill out of his pant pocket. "What about now? Huh?"

"Out!" She snapped, her eyes turning perilously round.

He almost dropped the money in his hurry to get going. The nurse closed the door after him. She gave Tori the pills and handed her a cup of water.

"These will probably knock you out again but you need the rest," she said, fluffing the pillows behind her. "I'm just going to take a few notes and then it's lights out."

She took Tori's chart from where Dr. Ference left it, in the slot at the foot of the bed, and began writing something in it.

Maybe it was psychological or the fact that she actually _was_ tired but Tori thought she could already feel the sleepiness creeping in despite having just swallowed the meds. She settled back against the pillows, sliding lower in bed and pulling the cloth blanket under her chin.

"Your friends sure care about you," the nurse said, still writing in her chart.

"Yeah, they're really nice," Tori answered her dreamily.

"That one girl though . . . something is wrong with her." The nurse had slipped the metal-enclosed chart back into its proper place.

"The girl with pink hair? She's actually really creative and nice. And funny." The drugs were really kicking in now and Tori tried to focus.

"No. Not her. The other one. She came earlier, by herself. Demanded to see you."

Tori fought through the haze, convinced she couldn't be hearing what she thought she was hearing. "Who? There was another girl? What did she look like?"

"Like the devil. We almost had to escort her out. She got very upset when we told her you weren't allowed any visitors at that time. Broke a few things."

Tori's heart was beating very fast; she could hear the accelerated, pointed beeps on the ECG monitor. "When was this? What did she say? Did you let her in?"

"Whoa! Calm down," the nurse said, hurrying over to the machine and turning down the volume of the beeps. "Right now it's time for sleep. You can see your friend tomorrow."

She gently pushed Tori back down onto the pillows.

"But—

"Tomorrow," she repeated again, more firmly and Tori knew there would be no point to argue.

A hot, urgent sensation filled Tori's chest and even with the pills and the stress of the day, she felt immediately anxious. Jade came to see her. She had come before anyone else. Tori's mind raced in lazy, drug-induced loops. She came. She came. She came.

**0o0o0o0o0**

It had been exactly four months, two days and six hours since the last time Sinjin got sick enough to be absent from school. He knew because he had a planner where he wrote in these types of things. Health and, subsequently, bacteria activity needed to be monitored.

There were many reasons why he didn't really enjoy missing school, the main one consisting of the requirement to catch up afterwards. This was mostly unpleasant since he wasn't much for socializing and the teachers usually made him ask someone in class for the work he required. In his stage acting class, Sikowitz must have been in a sadistic mood because he called Jade over when Sinjin asked for the homework.

"What?" Jade demanded once she was at his desk.

"Jade, Sinjin missed yesterday's lesson. Could you fill him in please?" Sikowitz requested.

"You're the teacher. Shouldn't this be your job?" Jade shot back.

"Jade," Sikowitz placated. "You know I have no idea what I talked about yesterday. I live in the now! The present! The past has passed!"

Jade rolled her eyes and Sinjin figured he would simply have to go without the notes and homework from this class.

"Come on, I've got it in my bag." Jade walked to her desk.

Too shocked to follow since Jade was never this approachable, Sinjin watched her. She took out some sheets and looked up to see him still at the front of the room.

"What the hell Sinj, get over here!"

Sinjin almost tripped over his own stick legs running to her. "Wow! Thanks Jade!" He held up the few papers she gave him and smelled them.

"Stop that!" She slapped his arms down.

"Thanks for being so nice." By no means did Sinjin ever get anything from Jade without her brokering for some sort of deal.

"Yeah . . . well. Whatever," Jade said apprehensively, as if she just then realized she had been too polite. "I want those back in my hand tomorrow morning along with a breakfast muffin."

"Sure! No problem!" Sinjin went back to his own bag and placed the sheets inside with reverence.

He had been paying special attention to Jade ever since she broke it off with Beck and weirdly— well he thought it was strange anyway—she seemed nicer to people than before. The day of the break up, Sinjin installed a text monitoring app on his cell. It allowed him to view every single text message within a five mile range of his current location. Quite a few rumors pointed to the fact that Jade might be into girls but none of them mentioned anything about Tori. Regardless, Sinjin completely believed that it was Tori who had been a major cause of the break up. And he was a major cause of that taking place. Ergo, he finally managed to do what he always dreamed of; break up Jade and Beck. Not a single student at H.A. would know but he would and that was enough. Of course in his dream, he was the one to start dating Jade but that was only a minor anomaly. Furthermore, Sinjin realized that he had been correct in assuming Jade might be happier with Tori. Very pleased with himself and his accurate hypothesis, Sinjin leaned back in his chair and waited for the lesson to start.

**0o0o0o0o0**

A few days after her release from the hospital, Tori was back at school, hobbling down the halls on her pastel pink crutches. Slowly but steadily, she was on her way to the bathroom, the pain meds making her wobble dangerously. Swinging the door open was tricky and she nearly lost her balance. Eventually, she got inside and propped her body up into a better position using the closed door.

A toilet flushed. Not wanting whoever it was to see how helpless she looked, Tori bee-lined for the concealed safely of the stalls. Before she could get there however, Jade came out of one and the two girls locked gazes. The first time they were alone since the parking lot and of course it had to be in a washroom. Jade broke eye contact first, moving to the sink to wash her hands.

"I know you came to see me in the hospital," Tori told her plainly.

The anticipation for this moment was too much for her. Despite everything, all her hesitancy, Tori became oddly impatient. She didn't want to waste any more time.

Jade's hands stopped moving under the water's spray for only half a second. She continued washing them, taking more time than needed and then walked over to grab a paper towel portion from the dispenser all while Tori remained silent.

Finally Jade's bright, green eyes landed on her again and it was like all the air disappeared from the room to be replaced with dry heat. Tori would have to be an idiot to try and convince herself that what was between them meant nothing.

Jade walked over to her slowly and Tori already felt her body relax, yielding to her, as if Jade had her under a spell.

"How are you?" Jade asked, standing very close to her.

"I—I'm okay. It's not so bad," Tori said, motioning to her injury. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. Is it this one?" Jade whispered, delicately touching Tori's hip.

The bandage across her hips was nonessential and heat from Jade's fingers easily penetrated the thin material of the leggings Tori wore.

"Yes," Tori exhaled.

"I heard there's a good chance the school will win that lawsuit. You're becoming pretty popular around here with all that media attention on the case. Bet you're thrilled," Jade said harshly, pressing her fingers harder into the injured hip. There was pain but it quickly fused with a violent sort of pleasure and Tori moaned quietly.

"I am," she admitted.

"You're pathetic," Jade said, hot breath hitting Tori's skin.

It was the first words they exchanged in practically a week and in any other circumstance they would seem crude. But not in this. Not with them, Tori realized.

"I almost broke my hip so I deserve some attention," she said, hanging in the crutches.

"Yeah, you keep thinking that."

Jade severely tilted Tori's head up, nearing her lips. Tori's heart thudded uncontrollably. She had thought about this for so long, wanting not just Jade's touch but to kiss her again.

The washroom door flew open and two girls walked in, laughing and talking and both froze when they saw Jade and Tori.

Tori couldn't explain why she panicked, why she chose to do what she did.

"What are you doing?" She yelled at Jade who automatically stepped back. "Get away from me!" Even as she was saying the words, she wished she wasn't.

Tori desperately hoped Jade would kiss her anyway, force her to do it the same way Jade had forced Tori to admit that she wanted all of this to happen in the first place. But Jade didn't. Humiliated and angry, Jade stared at Tori, both of them knowing that everything rested on what Tori would do next. She simply needed to brave enough to come clean. Seconds ticked by and Tori did nothing.

"Last chance," Jade said just loud enough for Tori to hear.

Tori looked away. She heard Jade make a disgusted sound and walk away. The two girls gave her plenty of space but Jade made sure to shoved past them anyhow.


	8. Like a Thief in the Night

_A/N: This was going to be the last chapter until it grew a bit too big. Consequently, the epilogue will be really short but that's how epilogues go. Enjoy!  
><em>

* * *

><p>If there was a possibility of becoming panic-stricken from hearing a repetitive sound, then Tori thought she might be close to it. All evening, her cell phone stayed glued to her ear in spite of her fully comprehending that Jade would not pick up. After Jade left her in the washroom, her memory was a blur. She managed to get home, hardly restraining tears and then simply broke down once in her room.<p>

Tori liked her. There was a frightening chance that she might even be falling for her, for another girl, and she could bare that. So then why had her impulse been to react the way she did, to say those awful words? Nothing could justify what she did and Tori was terrified that she lost Jade for good.

There was a soft knock on the door and Tori wiped at her tears and nose, struggling to get under some control.

"Hey, someone's here to see you," Trina said. "It's not Jade."

"How do you— what do you know?" Tori contested, forgetting her hip momentarily and sitting up too quickly. She winced when the pain shot across her thigh muscle and through her kneecap.

"It's Beck," Trina said ignoring the question and shifting out of the way to admit Beck in.

"Hi," he voiced, delivering a quick, cute wave.

Tori gave Trina a reprimanding look. The last thing she wanted was for Beck to see her in this sad state.

"Hi Beck."

He came in and Trina closed the door. Alone in the room with her, Beck stood uncertainly, one hand scratching his forearm.

"So . . . you like my ex-girlfriend."

Tori smirked in defiance of her internal emotions. "I don't want be mean or anything but I'm not ready to talk about it."

"Is that why you're crying?"

"Beck, really I just—

"No. No you don't get it," he said, rushing to sit down beside her on the edge of her bed. "This is what she does."

"What are you talking about?"

Beck paused then, seemingly to pick his words carefully. He rested his forearms on his bent knees. "She's so intense Tori and she sucks you in. But it doesn't last."

A million ideas deplored in Tori's head and she questioned what exactly Beck was doing here. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm telling you that you deserve better." He looked at her then. "Trust me, I dated her for a long time."

Tori stayed still as he reached up to hold her face, using his thumb to wipe away another tear that trickled from the corner of her eye. She thought he would end there but Beck leaned closer, inclining his head. His lips were soft and cool on hers and felt all wrong.

"Stop," she said, speaking against his mouth but he didn't stop. "Beck! Cut it out!" Tori shoved him back, palm hitting his firm chest.

"Is it because I'm not a girl? Are you a lesbian too now?" He asked spitefully, anger making him ugly.

Tori couldn't believe he was acting like this. Maybe he had taken the break up much harder than he let on but it still didn't give him the right to behave like a jerk.

"I think you should go," she told him.

Tori didn't want this to ruin anything else and Beck wasn't acting like himself. She could feel him looking at her but declined to meet his gaze.

"I thought we had something," he said crossly, almost stomping out and striving to slam the door behind him. Trina braced it with her hand and let him leave.

"He was mad," Trina stated perceptibly.

Tori craved some alone time, needing to think and pull herself together. "Trina, I—wait. You know something." She shifted on the bed to stare her in the eye.

Her sister appeared nervous, biting her lip, glancing to the side.

"Trina. What do you know?"

"I can't say! I've interfered enough!"

Tori looked incredulously at her. "Really? You? Interfered enough? You're doing that thing where you're gonna tell me but you want me to keep begging for a bit aren't you?"

"No," Trina said, stretching the word in a clear sign of lying.

Tori waited.

"Okay look, Jade really likes you. That's all I know."

"But I screwed it all up Trina! I totally embarrassed her in front of these girls in the washroom." Tori buried her face in her hands, her grief surpassing her curiosity to find out how much Trina knew.

"So? People get over stuff like that. Write her a song or something like you did for that Ryder guy. And forget about Beck. Sounds like he's jealous. Maybe he wants her back."

"Yeah," Tori croaked out, wishing she could somehow go back in time.

Because she knew Jade wouldn't get over it.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Quiet everyone! Quiet!"

Sikowitz certainly did not care for Monday mornings. The kids were always wound up from the weekend and it took them a good hour to truly settle and amalgamate. Jeff and Derick were chatting in the corner as always and Sikowitz threw the first thing that came under hand at them. It ended up being a rainbow clown wig. He wasn't quite sure how it got in his class or on his desk but it did the job, hitting Jeff in the face and knocking his baseball cap off.

"Now, today we will be learning about mise-en-scene. Can anyone tell me what that means?"

Nothing. No one raised a hand. Some students weren't even looking at him; his class was a dissolute stone garden. "It's French," Sikowitz added, attempting to spur some ideas. Robbie put up Rex's puppet hand.

"Robbie, if your puppet is about to say what I think he's about to say, I'll send you both to the principal's office."

The felt hand fell back down. That puppet had a dirty mind. Menage a toi indeed.

"It's the telling of a story using artistic vision on stage or in film. There are quite a few aspects of mise-en-scene. The first is—

A loud knock interrupted him. Someone in a work uniform stood in the doorway of his classroom with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Uh yeah, I'm supposed to deliver these to this class?" The uniformed man said a bit uncertainly.

"Are they for me?" Sikowitz asked, clasping his hands.

"Er . . ." The man checked the card. "They are if your name is Jade West."

All the eyes in his class went to Jade then to Beck who smiled confidently and shrugged.

Sikowitz pretended to be disappointed. "She's sitting over there."

Normally, he didn't make a habit out of knowing the drama between these kids but even he heard about the break up. Perhaps young Beck was attempting a reconciliation.

"Actually, bring them to me," Sikowitz decided.

The flowers were handed to him and Sikowitz tipped the man who nodded and left quickly. Sikowitz inhaled their scent, sticking his nose directly in the petals.

"They're lovely," he announced to the class, reaching for the small, yellow card nestled within the stalks. Sikowitz flipped it open dramatically, drawing out the moment, building the anticipation. "To Jade West," he began with a wide smile.

Then his eyes read the rest of the note and the smile faltered. He started again, clearing his throat. "To uh, Jade West. I'm sorry it took me this long to see. Tori."

A pin drop could easily be heard in the classroom. Very little fazed Sikowitz, what with his long experience, but a romance between Tori and Jade was the last thing he was expecting. Although this was California so really, he shouldn't be that surprised. He saw that Tori was staring at Jade, her expression intense, her eyes moist. Jade in turn was glaring at the floor, jaw locked. The tension needed to be cut.

"That was very sweet Tori," he said.

Without warning, Jade shot up, her chair falling backwards. She grabbed her bag and stalked out of the class. Then the whispering started. Sikowitz let it go on for bit, placing the bouquet on his desk for the time being.

"Everyone quiet down. Let's get back to the lesson," he called out over them. Any chance he had at getting them to listen and learn today flew out the window. As a brilliant educator, he couldn't let that stop him obviously. Although in retrospect, he probably should not have read that note out loud. Oh well.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Gossip ranging from partially true to entirely made up, raced throughout the school after the bouquet incident. What started out as a terrible rumour about Jade picking up chicks in washrooms changed to an assortment of rumours about both of them and it was exactly what Tori wanted to happen. She didn't care what people were saying only that the burden of it wasn't entirely on Jade.

Truthfully, she knew the flowers wouldn't win her over straight away. Two days went by with Jade still avoiding her every attempt at getting her alone and Tori couldn't take it anymore. Apparently she'd have to corner Jade outside of school.

A book fell from Tori's hand and would've hit the hallway floor if Beck hadn't caught it. He handed it to her. Tori snatched it from him and did her best to ignore him.

"Hey. Don't worry," he rushed. "I know I acted like an idiot."

Tori shot him a nasty glance.

"Okay, like an asshole. I guess I wasn't as comfortable with the idea of you and Jade . . . together as I thought."

Tell me about it, Tori thought, immediately understanding the feeling but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of her sympathy.

"Well anyways, I thought you should know that Jade is transferring out of Hollywood Arts."

"What!" Several people in the hallway turned to look at her.

"I know, I know," Beck said, attempting to calm her down. "She told me earlier today. Her parents already set up a few interviews with guidance councillors from other art schools."

Tori's couldn't breathe. She felt like crying and screaming and hitting Beck for being the one to tell her. Beck reached out to touch her shoulder and then thought better of it.

"Go talk to her," he said, dropping his hand to his side.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," Tori uttered.

"Yes she does," Beck said with a bitter smile. "She's probably at the gym. She usually goes there after school."

Tori hastily tossed things inside the locker and seized her purse to look for some cash for a cab. She no longer required crutches and her hip was on the mend but walking that far would be a bad idea.

"Come on," Beck said, closing her purse for her. "I'll drive you."

**0o0o0o0o0**

From the outside, the building appeared to be just like every other gym Tori had seen. But when she stepped inside, Tori become conscious of how little she knew about Jade. Specifically, how little she knew of Jade's financial standing.

The place was as gorgeous as it was huge. An expansive lobby stretched out before her, unadorned and done in dark colours. At the back of this large space, an Olympic sized swimming pool sparkled with beautiful aqua-coloured water. It was contained behind tall glass windows. In front of these windows stood a wide, dark wood reception desk that matched the wood trimmings on both sides of the lobby. There were two staircases, also finished in dark wood, leading semi-circularly upwards on either side of the desk.

"Hi, I don't suppose you'll let me in for free if I tell you than I need to find someone," Tori said to the incredibly muscled African-American man sitting behind the desk.

"That depends," he said, resting his elbows on the counter. "Who is it?"

"Jade West?" Tori figured she must have a membership if she came after school on a regular basis. Wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.

The man typed in a few commands on the keyboard with his thick fingers. "Yeah, she signed in a few minutes ago."

"So . . .?" Tori smiled her most charming smile. "Can I go in?"

"You can. The women's change room is the right staircase," he said, moving back from the computer to lean comfortably in the chair. "But if I see you working out, I'll make a big scene of escorting you out."

Tori smiled in relief. "Thank you!"

Taking one at a time, it took her forever to get up the steps and her hips throbbed once she was at the top. She went along the corridor, favouring her right leg and noticed that the glamour of the gym did not end at the lobby. In her lifetime, Tori had been inside a few fancy places -mostly offices and restaurants- and the change room she entered was almost equal in splendour to these establishments. The floors and walls were done in shimmery black tiles. To her left, the corridor split into three wings of large, cobalt lockers and a fourth wing that was a lounge area. Rows of frosty glass showers were on the right and, further down the black wall, there were several doors although Tori wasn't sure where they led.

A bit despondent, Tori staggered through the large area, looking for Jade, hoping she hadn't left for her workout already because Tori certainly did not want to be dragged out of the place by a guy the size of a refrigerator.

Unbelievably, Jade walked by almost directly in front of her, ear-buds in her ears and hair up in a pony-tail. She strolled over to one of those mysterious doors beside the showers, opening it and Tori charged in after her. With light pain encumbering her, Tori managed to shove her foot between the door and frame just in time. Jade turned in surprise and her eyes grew wider when she saw Tori. Quickly, before anyone could see them or Jade could protest, Tori shoved her forward into the room and the door shut behind them.

"What the hell?" Jade yelled out, yanking the buds from her ears.

The room they were in was a private bathroom, which included a sink, a toilet and a large shower tiled in the same stunning black tiles.

"What are you doing here?" Jade demanded, endeavouring to cover up her initial surprise by nonchalantly reaching for her mp3 player and turning it off.

"Please don't transfer out of Hollywood Arts."

"Didn't take long for Beck to tell you, did it?" Jade asked, going over to the large mirror and straightening her pony tail.

Tori came up behind her. "Jade . . ."

"I'm tired of this game Vega. Get lost. I need a solid two-hour workout."

"I want to be with you," Tori said softly, paying attention to Jade's reflection in the mirror.

Anger flashed in Jade's lucent eyes. "Get the fuck out," she repeated, hardly moving her mouth.

Tori shook her head gently. Jade spun away from the mirror, pouncing on her, slamming her into the smooth black wall next to the sink. An acute sting branched from Tori's injured hip outwards but she didn't care.

"This time I actually _will_ hurt you," Jade said, teeth bared.

Wanting to submit to her rage, knowing it would break her, Tori let her arms fall defensively. Her lips parted, her breath coming out in soft, seductive sighs when Jade's fists tightened in the collar of her shirt.

"Stop it," Jade hissed.

"No," Tori answered, bending further, closing the distance between them.

Jade snapped at her lips, almost catching the bottom one in her teeth but Tori swerved out of her reach. After a few heated seconds, Tori came forward once more and again Jade lunged to bite her, this time chasing when Tori diverted. The wall blocked her, her head hitting it lightly and Jade's mouth came down viciously on her neck, sucking in the tender skin. Whimpering, Tori fought for air tilting her head back, giving Jade more of herself.

"Harder," she choked out, needing a sharper pain. Jade's teeth sunk in her flesh, inciting a keen-edged cry from her and, at that, Jade eased off.

"No, don't stop," Tori implored, arching up and Jade let out a stifled sound.

Taking her mouth off the aggravated spot, Jade placed a palm on the wall behind Tori's head. Their breathing was completely too loud for the tiny room, seeming to fill it.

"You fucked this all up," Jade muttered into the crook of her neck.

"I know."

"You messed _me_ up," Jade said, lifting her eyes to her.

"I know."

"You . . . you broke my heart," she whispered hoarsely.

A hot shiver went through Tori. "And you stole mine," she said, cupping Jade's face with both hands and pulling her in.

Jade plunged her tongue inside Tori's mouth, taking over, taking any air she had left out of her lungs. Their bodies pressed together, Jade kneeing her legs apart, pushing in-between them. A red, hot lust burst out of Tori. She kissed her, tongue hungrily exploring Jade's mouth. This was all too much, an overload of sensation from pent up angst. Frantically Jade, wedged her hand in the middle of their bodies, unbuttoned Tori's pants. She shoved them, along with her underwear, part way down Tori's thighs quickly doing the same to her own gray sweatpants. They moved together, Tori clutching Jade's naked hips and pulling them to hers, grinding hard. Both of them moaned loudly at intimate contact.

"Fu-uck," Jade stuttered.

Injured or not, Tori's hips rocked into Jade's fluidly, their breaths mingling. Almost timidly, Tori skimmed her hand downwards and let out a soft 'oh' when her fingers slid along Jade's slit, dazed at how much touching her turned her on. She eased a finger inside her, moving it experimentally to test what Jade liked. Jade's stance didn't give her the friction she craved and Tori encouraged her to lift up one leg, hugging the folded limb against her side to help Jade balance. Little whimpers fell from Jade's mouth, her forehead on Tori's collarbone, but she maintained self-control and Tori worked a second finger inside her soft heat, yearning to make her lose.

"Oh fuck Tori," Jade cried out, close to her ear, her pelvis snapping up uncontrollably to match Tori's thrusting fingers.

Tori loved that she could do this to her, couldn't believe it had taken this long for it to happen. Suddenly Jade's nails were jabbing at her shoulder, reckless sounds wrenched from her throat as she came.

She hardly slowed down, kissing Tori deeply but with more intimacy than fierceness. The raging force between them became a molten heat, Jade's hands skimming up Tori's ribs, cupping her breast. Tori arched to the touch, gasped when Jade pinched her nipple.

Those green eyes were on her and Tori couldn't look away. Jade took her hand and lead her the few paces to the sink counter top.

"Up." She patted it.

The marble was cool under her naked rear but sitting took blessed pressure off her hip. With expert calmness, Jade took off Tori's pants completely, freeing her legs. She cast her eyes up and smiled, having to stand on tiptoes to reach Tori's lips. Tori felt Jade's fingers trailing up and down her bare thighs, hands coming to rest on her knees. Jade broke the kiss and evenly spread her legs open. The action itself prompted a quiet moan from Tori. Totally exposed to her, Tori held her eye contact as Jade's fingers explored, playing with her folds but never penetrated. Almost painfully slow, Jade rubbed her clit and when Tori involuntarily scooted to the edge to get more, those fingers denied her.

"Tease," she breathed out accusingly.

Jade only smirked, removing her hand completely. Her fingers went to her mouth and Tori took in the sight of Jade sucking on them, watched Jade bring the back out. She slid two wet fingers inside her and Tori's whole body shuddered, her mouth opening but emitting no sound. Nothing she had ever done compared to this. Every single nerve ending was alive and buzzing. Jade held her close, nuzzling her neck while she steadily pumped the fingers into her. When it flared, Tori's climax was leaden, liquid, flowing through her body.

Sounds of other people turning on their showers next door prompted Tori to move in Jade's light embrace. A tingly, numb sensation radiated from her hip and she rubbed it. Jade's hand settled on top of hers.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice was tender; a tone Tori didn't think she heard before from her.

"No, it's just uncomfortable," she answered.

"Here," Jade helped her down.

"Thanks," Tori said, not sure what to say next. Their secret exchanging ritual seemed too uncongenial for this.

Once they were both fully clothed again, Jade bent in and kissed her. A shallow kiss, their lips meeting briefly and sweetly. "Thursday, I'll be at your place around six and I want you ready to go out."

"Out?" Tori asked, leaning in for another quick kiss. "As in on a date?"

"Yeah as in a date. You got a problem with that Vega?"

"No."

"Good," Jade said. "Now get out. I'll meet you in the lobby."

"You're not going for a workout?" The last thing Tori wanted to do was encroach on Jade's personal time.

"Already had one," Jade said, smiling devilishly.

"You're funny," Tori told her.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Tori didn't have to wait long for her to come out and when Jade appeared, she looked to be in a hurry.

"Is everything okay?" Tori asked, foolishly worried that they were right where they started, as if nothing changed.

"My dad called. I have to meet someone," Jade stated, heading past her.

"What? Who? What's going on Jade?"

That worry jumped up several notches and became panic. Tori tracked her out through the doors.

A girl in her early 20s with colourful tattoo sleeves and short, spiky hair almost smacked into both of them just passed the gym doors.

"Oh I'm sorry . . . are you Jade West?" She asked, her dark, almost black eyes glinting in the afternoon sun.

"Yeah. And you're Jessie Thorn."

Those dark eyes shifted from Jade to Tori as if this Jessie girl could read exactly what was going on between the two of them.

Ultimately, she stuck out her hand and Jade shook it reluctantly. "Yeah, hi. Sorry to catch you like this but I've got to interview two other people for the spot. The Academy of Performing and Visual Arts has a very small student body." Her voice was raspy and edgy and she was looking at Jade in a way that Tori didn't enjoy.

"I changed my mind. I don't want to go to that school."

Relief flooded into Tori hearing Jade say that. Up until this moment, Tori completely forgot that Jade opted to switch schools. However, Jessie appeared undaunted by Jade's dismissal.

"I flipped through your portfolio. You're very talented and creative and I bet some of your projects were rejected by that cookie-cutter school you attend now. Am I right?"

Jade nodded slowly and Tori realized just how correct Jessie's assumption was. Many times Jade had been asked to change or alter something because her ideas were deemed too wild, most notably the play Tori helped her put on.

"Come on, the interview lasts half an hour. If after that, you'd still rather stay at Hollywood Arts, that's fine. But don't let this opportunity go by without even listening to what our school has to offer."

Hesitating, Jade switched her gym bag to the other shoulder. "Yeah, alright."

"Good," Jessie said, her smile revealing adorable dimples.

"Can she come along?" Jade asked referring to Tori.

"Unfortunately no. The Academy has a strict policy on that. Our interview process is confidential. Sorry," Jessie said to Tori but Tori thought she wasn't sorry at all.

"Come on," she said to Jade and began walking towards the first row of cars in the lot.

"Sorry about this," Jade said privately to Tori while Jessie appeared to be fiddling with her car keys. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Tori wished she could say something that wouldn't sound needy because she didn't want Jade to leave. Instead, she answered with a subdued 'okay' and watched Jade walk away.

"Hey, Bif Naked has a tattoo like that," Tori heard Jade say when she jogged up to Jessie, pointing out something small on the older girl's forearm.

"You know Bif Naked? We're going to get along just fine Jade." Jessie laughed lightly.

Tori hated it.


	9. Decisions, Decisions

_A/N: So when I said the epilogue would be short, I already had a rough idea of what it would contain. When I sat down to write it however, a lot of things weren't working the way I imagined. Therefore this is not the end of the story. It ran away again, doing whatever the heck it wants._

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><p>Jessie had not overstated her assertion when she said that the girl possessed talent. A few of West's art pieces might have been slightly juvenile but there was massive potential there.<p>

On a more personal level and if her first impression was correct, –and it usually was— Jessie guessed Jade liked chicks. Just observing the teen describing the artistic process and her work while sitting across from her at the small, mosaic patio table, Jessie was already imagining the kinds of things she could teach her.

"You're a perfect fit for our program Jade," she told her diversely, smiling in a way she knew revealed her dimples.

"It does sound good," Jade answered, taking a sip of coffee.

"Well you've got the packet there to go through. I've already outlined the fine points and all the features that would benefit your creativity. The rest is up to you."

Jade studied the street and the cars going by sluggishly, waiting to join the traffic on the main road bordering the café. All else aside, Jessie completely understood that switching schools would be a daunting task for anyone and a decision which required at least one night's sleep. She chose to switch topics.

"Was that your girlfriend with you?"

Jade's head snapped back immediately. "What?"

Surprised at her own unease when the younger girl nailed her with a glare, Jessie shifted in her seat. She usually wasn't one to get intimidated this easily and not by a high school student. "I'm sorry. I thought that . . . never mind."

Jessie trailed off on purpose, giving Jade a few seconds to consider whether or not she wanted to tell her. Again she was stunned and a little impressed by Jade's response.

"Is this part of the school's interview process?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

Yup, the girl definitely had attitude.

"No," Jessie smiled again, rotating her coffee cup on its saucer. "No, it's not. One-hundred percent personal inquiry."

"Why do you want to know?"

Questions on top of questions. Jade West certainly did not allow anything to be effortless.

"I don't know. Doesn't seem like your type," Jessie retorted, keeping her tone light but conveying exactly what she though.

"And what is my type? You?"

There was intelligent anger in those eyes, but Jessie thought she saw interest in them as well.

"Maybe." Jessie became completely serious. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Jade appeared to consider the proposition and nodded.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Which part are you on?" Jade asked, bending over to search Tori's notes.

"Uh, costume design."

L.A. positively had great summer weather but the abundance of concrete everywhere turned the city into a frying pan, collecting the sun's rays and cooking all its citizens. Dressed in shorts and tank tops, Jade and Tori were slouched over a table in the outdoor cafeteria, suffering in the intense temperature. Inside, the school was not much better. With the air conditioning refusing to work, the air within the building was a suffocating heat more akin to soup than to oxygen.

"Yeah that's what I'm on too. Sort of stuck on it . . ."

Tori smiled at her and read her notes aloud while Jade jotted a few things in her notebook.

"Thanks," Jade said and Tori wondered if she'd ever get used to hearing her say that.

"No problem," she replied, involuntarily rubbing her hip.

"Is it hurting you?" Jade noticed at once and put her pen down, twisting on the metal bench.

Surprisingly, cool hands encircled Tori's hip, massaging and penetrating tough muscle tissue. Behind her sunglasses, Tori's eyes drifted shut. No matter how innocent, Jade's touch always sparked desire.

"This heat is making it worse or something," Tori said, attempting to steady her voice.

She clamped a hand on the bench to prevent her hips from shifting in rhythm with Jade's kneading and held back on the improper sigh threatening to escape.

"Would you calm down," Jade insisted quietly, close to her. "Everyone's watching us, you skank."

"Let them," Tori said, grinning. "Speaking of skanks, what did that Jessie girl have to say?"

Jade mentioned nothing of her meeting and Tori did not want to push her but not knowing what Jade thought on the matter of switching schools had become insufferable.

"She just gave me a some pamphlets," Jade said, her sentence curt.

"So are you staying or what?"

"I'm sorry, do I need to run everything by you now?" Jade went back to her work but ended up flipping her notebook closed.

"Hey! I was just asking. It's a kind of a big deal if you're transferring."

Tori couldn't believe how quickly this conversation took a tailspin. If what lay between them was a relationship, then this was not a good start.

"You know what else is a big deal? When someone wins a lawsuit and their face is all over the news! Why didn't you tell me about _that_?"

In truth, Tori had totally forgotten about the lawsuit against the flying harness rental place, as improbable as that seemed. Being rather preoccupied, she didn't even have a chance to notice her story on the local news. Although now that Jade mentioned it, Tori did recall her sister saying something to her about her photo showing up TV. "Mom and dad gave them one of your head shots. The hot one," Trina chirped.

"I forgot, okay?" Tori said, actually feeling bad.

"You forgot about being on TV? Forgot about Sikowitz's play based on you and about everyone constantly asking if you're okay?"

"I don't care about that," Tori said evenly, hoping this wasn't typical Jade cynicism.

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't."

That made her angry and quick. "What the hell Jade! You know I'm not like that. But maybe you don't get that and maybe you'll _never_ get that. Maybe you should be with someone who's more like you."

"What are you talking about?" Jade demanded, pushing away from her.

Other students really were looking at this point and Tori lowered her voice. "Uh hello? That Jessie girl was totally flirting with you and you didn't seem to mind."

Jade said nothing but Tori could see her jaw flexing. "So because we had things in common I'll just automatically be into her?"

"You tell me!" Tori burst out.

"Fuck this," Jade spat, scooping everything off the cafeteria table and marching away.

**0o0o0o0o0**

The day was young and full of possibilities. And money! Well not his money really because the settlement from the lawsuit went to the school. But exclusively, it got transferred to the drama department. Which translated to his money. Sort of.

Sikowitz arrived at the school extra early and began writing out a list of all the ways the money could be used. So many possibilities! Eikner already wanted a portion of it to fix that darn air conditioning but that was understandable.

"Tori! Tori Vega!" Sikowitz called out, seeing her pass by his open classroom door. He sprung up from his chair to go to her.

"Morning sir," she said without her usual enthusiasm.

Something was wrong but he didn't have time for that. Besides, he was dealing with teenagers here; something was _always_ wrong.

"Tori, listen there will be a camera crew from the local TV station coming in. They want to do an interview with you and me as a follow up so I'm going to need a favour from you."

The girl's expression scrunched up at the mention of a camera crew but Sikowitz knew she'd do the interview since he asked.

"I need you to make yourself pretty. Put on some makeup and maybe comb that crazy hair of yours," he said and saw the way Tori's eyes traveled to the wild tufts of his own hair. Of course he was purposely yanking her chain- the girl was gorgeous- and aspiring to cheer her up.

"Sure," she said, one of her eyes squinting in that way it usually did when she refrained from saying what she really wanted say.

"Good! I'll call you when they arrive." He patted her shoulder and sent her along.

Jovially, Sikowitz strutted back to his desk and heard commotion in the hallway just as his butt was about to hit the seat. Out of the chair and out of the classroom, he flew to see what all the hubbub was about.

"Hi, Miss Vega? We're from KTLA news," a well-manicured Hispanic woman in a cream power suit was saying to Tori, having caught her as she left his class.

The woman's hair was up in a tight bun and she held a clipboard which she jostled into Tori's hands. It appeared that the crew arrived earlier than expected and Sikowitz could tell that Tori was not pleased at all. In fact, she was almost ignoring them, looking elsewhere. Sikowitz followed Tori's line of sight and saw Jade standing further down the hallway, examining all of this unfold.

"I need to you sign this. Basically it's just like a permission slip for us."

"What?" Tori reverted back to the woman, not having heard a single word.

"Just sign this," the woman repeated, frustrated and she thrust the clipboard at her again.

"I'd rather not be interviewed please," Tori said politely, evidently changing her mind.

The woman did not enjoy that answer. Rather unprofessionally, she pushed from an angle which probably worked for her many times in the past considering this was L.A. "You know this is good exposure. Any kid from Hollywood Arts would be lucky to have this opportunity."

She said this boisterously. Probably loud enough for Jade to overhear from where she stood because the dark-haired girl sneered and started walking away.

Tori saw this, her eyes shooting back to the woman with the clipboard and suddenly Sikowitz knew he needed to intervene.

"Well I don't give a sh—

"What she means is I, Erwin Sikowitz, drama arts teacher, would be glad to speak to you." He pushed Tori out of the way.

Sikowitz signed the paper and pretend to listen as the woman yabbered on about what questions she'd be asking him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Tori catch up to Jade. Tori grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to stop. Jade spun, anger and stubbornness written all over her face and Sikowitz read at least two expletives in her few words. It was all she managed because, in the middle of this profanity-laced sentence, Tori simply kissed her. The dark-haired girl gave up almost instantly, her hands going to Tori's shoulders.

Sikowitz realized his watching was beginning to edge in on creepy, old man territory and he turned back to the camera crew. Well they appear very happy together, Sikowitz though, fluffing his hair back up after one of the wardrobe guys attempted to tame it.

**0o0o0o0o0**

There were a lot of areas in L.A. Tori had never been and this was one of them. She didn't even recognize the neighbourhood. The message Jade sent displayed an address and nothing else. Restaurants and a couple of stores lined the streets and Tori concluded Jade probably wanted to go out on their date earlier than Thursday.

"Oh hi Tori!" A bubbly voice greeted her.

"Cat? What are you doing here?"

Cat wore a stunning moss coloured skirt and as usual, six inch heels. Many times Tori questioned how she was able to walk in them so gracefully.

"Jade told me to be here," she said, holding up her cell.

"Oh."

Before she could ask any more questions, Jade drove by. They watched her parallel park, exit the car and add several quarters to the parking meter.

"Hello ladies," Jade said.

She was wearing dark leggings and low cut top and unlike with Cat, all Tori could think about was getting her out of those clothes. Jade noticed her reaction and one of her eyebrows rose above the line of her sunglasses approvingly.

"So. What are we doing here?" Tori asked.

Jade walked in the middle of them, neck bent back, staring at an awning. "We're going in there."

Whipping around, Tori paled when she saw the store Jade had already opened the door to.

"A sex shop? Really?" Tori whispered, walking stiffly behind her and holding the door for Cat. "Don't we have to be eighteen to be in here?"

Cat giggled loudly, getting a glimpse of a stripper-pole set up in a corner of the shop. Black lights shone around it and a blow-up doll had been positioned in an awkward, rubbery pose on the pole while Eurodance played loudly from speakers sitting on the ground.

A thirty-something woman at the counter looked up from a magazine she was lazily going through. She inspected them for a bit. "You girls old enough to be in here?"

"See!" Tori instead, elbowing Jade in the back.

"No, ha ha," Cat laughed, walking up to the blow up doll anyway.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave then," the woman said, watching Cat, somewhat amused.

"I can order almost anything in here online," Jade told her with assurance.

"So what's the problem then?"

Jade glanced around, her eyes landing an isle but Tori couldn't determine which one. Jade pointed to whatever she was looking at. "Pictures of those things online are unreliable. And they're expensive so I want to check them out first hand."

Leaning forward on the counter, the woman studied her. "You've got twenty minutes."

"Come on," Jade grabbed her and pulled her to one of the isles.

In a flash, Tori found herself gazing up at an entire wall of dildos and vibrators. Every possible combination of shape and colour was represented. Some of them, Tori didn't even know how to use. Conveniently, all the toys were arranged small to large. Jade walked to about the center of this dildo wall where the medium sized dongs were located.

"You cannot be serious," Tori said in a small voice.

Jade reached to take one down. It was a powder blue, not too long and about the thickness of a curling iron.

"Oh wow, you are serious." Tori swallowed thickly.

Flipping the sealed plastic over, Jade began reading the information on the back. Tori approached her tentatively, too nervous to consider the things Jade might want to do with the toy.

"It's dishwasher safe," Jade said, directing her to the text.

"It's big," Tori said instead.

Jade drew near her, nestling her neck, her ear. "You can take it," she whispered and Tori could feel the heat spread across her cheeks.

The thought of using it frightened Tori and sickly, excited her at the same time. Jade's thigh suddenly pressed in between her legs and Tori let out a soft exhale.

"I bet you're wondering how it'd feel to have it inside you, aren't you?" Jade hissed into her ear, a hand on Tori's hip provoking movement. "Believe me, by the end, I'd have you begging me to use it on you."

"We can't do this here," Tori said, lightly riding the thigh nonetheless.

"We're getting kicked out in twenty minutes anyway," Jade teased.

"Hey guys!" Cat ran up to them and they separated easily.

Tori wasn't even embarrassed. Keeping an arm around Jade's waist without apprehension, she was pleasantly amazed at how completely natural it felt to have it there. It helped that Cat didn't make a big deal of it either.

"Look what I got!" Cat squealed.

"Oh hell Cat, put those back," Jade said.

"But they're so cute," she insisted, brandishing the cellophane-wrapped lollipops.

They were shaped like miniature penises. Cat made a circle with her thumb and forefinger, pushing a purple candied dick in and out of it. "Ouu, yeah baby."

Tori couldn't help it and laughed outright. There was just something so impossibly innocent and adorable about the way Cat did it.

"Fine, get them. But _do not_ eat them at school," Jade said, placing the dildo package back on the metal prong.

"I won't," Cat said with a devious smile and ran off towards the cash register.

"You're not buying it?" Tori asked, referring to the sex toy.

"Not from here. Everything's so overpriced."

Pretending to be upset, Tori crossed her arms. "You're planning on doing that to me with a cheap one?"

For a second, Jade was caught off guard until she realized Tori was kidding. "It's the exact same model online."

"You just don't think I'm worth the extra cash," Tori said, continuing the joke.

"You're totally right."

Jade pushed her away playfully and Tori laughed, squashing that tiny voice in her mind which reminded her that Jade had yet to tell her about her decision on schools. And about Jessie.


	10. Where I Want You

I've had this sitting on my computer for far too long. I figures that I might as well edit it and finish off this story - something I should have done a long time ago. Thanks to all the people who reviewed and those who have been reviewing which is what encouraged me to post the last chapter. Oh quick btw; there's a part in this story that has since sort of come up on the show which I found hilarious so I had to update it.

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><p>Several hours went by before Tori picked out the perfect outfit for the date and a single text message rendered that effort useless. 'Dress casual,' Jade had written. Equally reluctant and annoyed, Tori dragged on a pair of dark jeans and her old white-toe, black canvas sneakers. She exchanged the silky medallion blouse she so meticulously picked out for a cream and navy striped lose-shoulder top.<p>

Nerves were getting to her. A sense of unease settled in which, shamefully, had nothing to do with her feelings for Jade and more to do with being seen in public. At school, people sort of found out after a series of gossip bombshells which softened the blow. Out in public was a different story. Would they get stares? Would it be obvious she was on a date with a girl?

Sitting on the arm of her couch, Tori anxiously tapped her foot, beating out a random rhythm. Their whole relationship – if that's what it could be called- started out so bizarrely, was so different from any relationship she'd ever had and Tori didn't know how to act.

When the door bell rang, she almost fell on the floor in her urgency to get up. Tori composed herself and, straightening a few loose strands of hair, she opened the door. Car keys freely dangling from her hand, Jade appeared impatient standing at the entrance to her house. Like Tori, she was wearing dark denim jeans but unusually –for Jade at least- she had a bright, plum henley shirt on. It brought out the pink of her lips where Tori's eyes were instantly drawn. Their gaze locked and, as if mesmerized, Jade slowly leaned in towards her, head tilted. Then, as if remembering where they were, Jade stopped inches away and backed off. Tingling heat flared over Tori's skin, all nerves forgotten for the moment. She couldn't believe how easily she became attracted to Jade.

"Hurry up, Vega," Jade said loudly, going back down the steps.

They got in the car and Tori noticed that the backseat was taken up with a large wicker hamper. The sun was already setting and Tori thought going for a picnic at night would be strange. Though knowing Jade, it was exactly what the other girl planned.

Tori strapped her belt across, glancing over at her out of the corner of her eye, her earlier apprehensions flaring up again.

"Relax," Jade said, starting the car.

"Huh?"

"I'm not taking you anywhere too public," Jade said, checking her blind spot as she backed the car out.

All at once, Tori felt guilty, wondering what gave her thoughts away.

"Jade, it's not like that."

"Yeah. It _is_ like that and it's exactly what I expected from you," Jade answered in a flat, detached voice.

"Jade," Tori tried again.

"Whatever, let's just drop it."

Regardless of all Tori had done, the kiss, the flowers, Jade still wasn't convinced for some reason. Tori despondently sank back in her seat. This wasn't going how she planned at all.

**0o0o0o0o0**

"Where the heck are you taking me?" Tori asked, distracted by the scenery.

Dusk was turning into night and Jade's turns kept bearing them further and further away from even the sparsely suburban areas. More fields and open spaces lay between houses now. Lampposts were thinning out too, turning the road dark.

"You're not planning on killing me and burying my body somewhere out here, are you?"

"Oh shit, you figured it out!" Jade said, tightening her grip on the wheel and turning again.

"Only because you've tried it before," Tori insisted, noticing gravel littering the road and numerous orange and black pylons signifying a construction zone was ahead.

"Why do you keep making a big deal out of that?" Jade protested.

Their street stopped, the rest of it blocked off by fat, concrete wedges and Jade parked in front them. Once out of the car, the girls went through the narrow gap between the wedges, Jade with the basket in her hands.

The road beyond had not yet been fully evened out and further in the distance loomed a massive grassy hill. At one side of it stood an inert, yellow excavator where work had begun on breaking the hill down and hauling the soil away.

Tori dutifully trailed Jade up the dirt-packed path to the hill's summit in silence. The top was fully overgrown and Jade put the basket down, rolling out a big blanket, and flattening it out amongst the wild bushes. They were completely out of view here, the bushes concealing them even from the road. Tori looked back the way they came. Jade's car stood lonely at the mouth of the rough road. A few lamppost cast small circles of amber light down on the empty road and the closest house was a quarter of a mile away.

"So on our first date, you brought me to the top of a dirt hill in the middle of a construction site?" Tori asked.

Jade said nothing and continued to even out the thick material of the blanket. Ultimately, she stood up and crooked her finger, motioning for Tori to come over.

"What?" Tori asked sceptically.

Taking her by the shoulders, Jade twirled her around, away from the street. Spread out below them, on the other side of the hill, grew an immense, grassy meadow that stretched out for what seemed like miles. Its green was coloured black and blue under the light of the newly risen moon. But that wasn't the attraction.

"Oh my God," Tori said faintly, her heart fluttering.

The meadow was utterly full of fireflies, hundreds of them everywhere. Either they hovered just above the tall grass or sat atop the stalks; a sea of tiny, emerald lights which blinked on and off and swayed with every gust of warm summer wind.

"Watch this," Jade said, picking up a medium-sized rock.

She threw it, disturbing the grass and a glowing whirlwind of fireflies spiralled from the spot. It was one of the most brilliantly sublime things Tori had ever seen.

"Jade . . . how did you find this place?"

Jade went to sit on their blanket and untied the lid of the basket. "An old friend of mine lives around here."

"It's beautiful," Tori said, coming to sit down, next to Jade and noticing for the first time that there were scores of fireflies in the bushes around them as well.

Jade was taking small, plastic containers out of the basket and soon a good portion of their blanket space was taken up. Clearly Jade had gone to quite a bit of effort in preparing this picnic. And summer fields of beautiful fireflies didn't seem like Jade's style either.

"Chicken wrap?" Jade asked, revealing a bag of tortillas.

"Sounds perfect," Tori said, a little taken aback by all the things Jade had seemingly done for her. She picked up a container with shredded lettuce and unfastened it. While the wraps had been a good idea, the success rate of keeping various foods in the flour tortillas proved to be low. In between their casual conversation, they kept giggling as a tomato or a cucumber cube went tumbling out. Mayonnaise shot out of Tori's wrap and landed in a nasty gob on the blanket.

"Sorry," Tori said, attempting to wipe it off.

Jade laughed at her. "Don't worry about it. No one uses this thing."

Hearing Jade laugh was almost too much for Tori. She truly did not know her and was rather sure all their friends didn't know this Jade either. This girl that was under the mask.

"That uh . . . stuff you wrote about me in your journal. When did it start?" She asked slowly.

Jade said nothing and began to put away the leftovers.

"A few months ago," she finally told her, not entirely comfortable with the question either.

"Oh," Tori said, handing her the containers when Jade busied herself with packing them up. The silence continued while fireflies danced around them.

"I knew I liked chicks before you came along so don't go flattering yourself," Jade eventually revealed, lying back and resting on her elbows to look up at the night sky.

"But why me?" Tori asked, getting an idea. "Is it because of how pretty I am? Or my talent? I always like to know which one."

Razor-sharp, Jade's green eyes shot to her. Tori knew her so-called arrogance was one of Jade's buttons and she took great pleasure in pushing it. She stretched out on the blanked under Jade's venomous gaze, angling her head back.

"Come on Jade, I know you can't resist me," Tori whispered deliberately and Jade's mouth came down on her neck, sucking hard on the dark, purple mark she had crafted there a few days ago. A sharp, burst of a sound escaped Tori's throat.

"You just make me so angry," Jade said, harshly. "I love it."

A warm wave passed over Tori's skin at her proximity and out of nowhere, Beck's words echoed in her head. _She's so intense Tori and she sucks you in. But it doesn't last._

"Jade . . ." Tori began again as Jade's mouth progressed down her neck in a series of sharp nips. "Are you switching schools? Or are you staying?" _With me_, she wanted to add but didn't.

"I'm staying," Jade said, as if she heard the unspoken part of the question.

Knowing that she should stop there, that she was about to mess up a perfect moment, Tori pressed on regardless. "Did that Jessie girl try anything?"

"What the fuck! I thought we were over this!" Jade spat, moving off her.

"I—I'm sorry. I can't help it," Tori stuttered. "I'm jealous."

Something changed in Jade's eyes at those words. Anger shifted and became something else.

"After the interview, she asked me to come back to her car with her. So I went." Jade took Tori's arms, placed them above her head on the blanket. "We got into the back seat and she held me down. Just like this."

"What?!" Tori struggled but Jade kept her in place. "Are you seri—

Jade crushed her lips to Tori's, cutting off her protest. "She kissed me," Jade said simply, her wet lips going to Tori's ear while fingers skimmed along Tori's flat stomach to her waistband. "Her hand went to open my pants."

Unbuttoning the jeans, Jade slipped a cool hand inside her panties.

"Then I let her eat me," Jade whispered hotly and applied sweet pressure to that tiny bundle of nerves and Tori moaned, arching off the blanket despite Jade's words.

"That didn't happen," Tori asserted, trying to think coherently.

"No?" Jade almost hissed. "Are you sure?" She thrust a finger into her.

"Yes," Tori cried out.

"Yes, you're sure or yes Jade, please don't stop?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Tori answered. "And yes Jade, please don't stop,"

"Big words from a girl who, I don't really think, is into other girls," Jade said casually but Tori picked up the slight tremor in her voice. It was Tori's turn to confess to some difficult truths.

"You're right, I'm not into other girls," Tori said. "I'm into you."

Jade tried to cover up the whimper that came out of her by bending down for frantic kiss. Some clothes came off, pants were pulled down but neither girl was comfortable with being fully naked lying on top of a grassy hill. In the midst of all the touching and massaging, Jade reached up and out of Tori's view.

Suddenly, Tori felt something unfamiliar but smooth and big at her entrance. On instinct, she closed her legs but Jade grabbed a thigh, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" Tori got up on her elbows and saw in Jade's hand the same toy they were examining days earlier in the sex shop.

"It will be okay," Jade said, still gripping her thigh.

"But I've—

"It'll be okay," she repeated soothingly, running the tip of the toy up and down her opening. Tori let out a tiny moan, her legs falling apart slightly.

"I—I just don't think—

"It'll feel so good," Jade whispered. "I promise."

Tori exhaled shakily and Jade kissed her mouth, letting the toy rub her. Every so often, Jade would dip the tip of it inside, only to go back to caressing her with it. To Tori's amazement, the teasing became too much and she rocked her hips causing more of the toy to enter her.

"Oh Ja-Jade," Tori stammered, pulling the other girl close, trying to get more of it inside but Jade wouldn't let her.

"Please," Tori pleaded, out of breath.

Jade lips hitched up into a fiery sneer. "I told you I'd have you begging for it."

There was a spasm of pain when she pushed the rest of toy in and Tori gritted her teeth, thinking maybe it was a mistake. And just as quickly, the pain twined with pleasure. A primal moan split from her, deep in her throat and her hips snapped in time with Jade's hand. Tori cried out loudly in the dark when Jade increased the pace.

Vivid green iris fastened to deep brown ones. Heat spread from Tori center and raced up her skin, flushing her cheeks. It took the lightest graze of Jade's thumb for the electricity to shimmer up Tori's spine and burst. She arched up, into Jade and before the last of the shudders tapered off, Tori was already tugging at Jade's panties. She gasped, feeling the slickness of her.

"Is this what I do to you?" Tori asked, her voice husky.

Surprise flitted over Jade's features and she couldn't restrain the groan that flew from her mouth when Tori slid fingers into her. Still, Jade attempted to hang on to some control.

"Tell me, Jade, please," Tori implored, her fingers working more urgently.

"All the time," Jade panted.

She came hard then, bucking her hips desperately into Tori's hand, as if the admission itself brought her to climax. They lay on the blanket with their limbs entangled, catching their breath. Her body was so spent that Tori couldn't keep her eyes open.

"We should get dressed before we get mosquito bites anywhere unpleasant," Jade murmured, sounding equally sleepy.

"Good point," Tori said, struggling to get her jeans on.

With that done, she helped Jade fold up the blanket and held onto it while Jade grabbed the basket.

"So what really did happen with Jessie?" Tori asked.

"Is this what it's going to be like? You constantly nagging me?" Jade questioned her, stopping to glare.

"You're dating a girl now. It's what we do." Tori smiled tiredly at her.

Jade rolled her eyes at her and began walking down the hill. "Well after she told me that you weren't my type, I told her she could go fuck herself."

"Good," Tori said, and followed Jade back to the car.

**0o0o0o0o0**

Cracking open his locker door, Sinjin barely missed smacking his nose. He really needed to remember to lean away when he did that but he was in a hurry. A new sound board came in today and he knew he had a bunch of audio jacks somewhere in his locker except he couldn't see them. Sinjin shoved a few books and old, mouldy lunches out of the way and a pencil case fell out. Looking down at it, Sinjin also saw a pair of burgundy combat boots. He gulped and swung his locker door closed to see Jade holding up pieces of paper in his face. Specifically they were photocopies of her journal. The photocopies he had made of course.

"Did you give these to her on purpose?"

Too scared to do anything, Sinjin nodded and hopped his bladder would hold this time.

"Why?"

That was a question he was not expecting. His mouth opened and words came out although he wasn't quite sure what he was saying. "I thought she'd be good for you."

Jade's features turned soft for the smallest instant.

"Who asked you to think?" She demanded, voice hard as she lunged forward.

Sinjin closed his eyes, shrinking away, waiting for the punch to land. Instead something much more delicate made contact with his cheek. Jade had kissed him.

"Thank you," she said quietly and spun around.

Shocked, mouth gold-fishing, Sinjin observed her walking up to Robbie and Andre at the center staircase in the hallway. He touched his cheek where he still felt the warmth of her kiss and smiled.


End file.
